Technological privacy and security are some of the most critical aspects of our lives. In the past, it was much more difficult to protect information. But thanks to new technologies and advances in security measures, we can now keep our data much safer than ever before.
This blog post will discuss how information privacy and technology have changed over the years and how it continues to evolve. We will also talk about the different ways to protect your information and keep yourself safe online.
Why is it important to protect your personal information?
In the past, we used to live in a society where physical security was much more important than online security. However, with the increase in technology, we are now faced with a new set of risks. One of the most common ways to steal information is through online hacking. It can be done by obtaining your passwords or other sensitive information.
So, how can you protect your information? One way to protect yourself from this type of theft is to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN such as surfshark vpn encrypts your data, keeping it safe from prying eyes.
Mozilla Firefox is a great browser that offers a range of features and proxy extensions. One such Firefox proxy extension is the VPN service, VeePN. Once you set up VPN Firefox on your device, this extension allows you to connect to a VeePN for the Mozilla Firefox server and encrypt your data quickly and easily. In addition, this Firefox VPN extension also hides your IP address and provides access to blocked websites while ensuring your privacy and technology are fully secured. VeePN has a free trial that you can use to test the free VPN service for Mozilla. It also has different subscription plans, so you can find one that fits your needs. Overall, VeePN is an excellent VPN service for Firefox users.
How has technology evolved over the years?
Let’s take a look back at some of the most significant developments in internet privacy and technology over the last two decades. We’ll trace how has the internet changed the world from the dawn of Facebook and MySpace in the early 2000s up to the advent of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and recent privacy breaches.
2000-2004: Google Early Privacy Policy and the Launch of Facebook
As the number of individuals with daily access to the internet grew in the early years of the digital age, privacy issues were few and far between. The online users of those days were more interested in information flow and storage than technological privacy.
Google’s early privacy policy reflects the pre-smartphone period when very little user data was collected, accessed, or retained. Additionally, the data was previously handled in a group rather than an individual one. But only for a short time.
In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook, a revolutionary social media application. It has changed the way people communicate over the internet and led to a more globalized world.
2005-2011: The Rise of Online Ad Targeting and Data Breaches
From 2005 to 2011, internet service providers accumulated an increasing amount of data for the sake of more precise advertisement targeting.
Quickly, Google figured out that the data it collects may be better used for advertising purposes if handled individually. DoubleClick ad network was bought in 2006, while YouTube video hosting was acquired in 2007.
When the iPhone was released in 2007, it ushered in a new era of desktop and banner advertising and a new generation of mobile advertising and monitoring.
Surprisingly, an unprecedented data breach involving 1.4 million customers occurred in 2005. Surely you can hear the bells ringing in your ears. Let’s move forward.
2012-2017: An Unprecedented Rise in Data Breaches and the Fear of Digital Security
Breach of user data suddenly becomes more frequent and more significant. More than 130 data breaches of various sizes occurred between 2012 and 2017, the greatest being Yahoo’s 2013 hack of three billion accounts. Within those five years, it is estimated that more than 4.5 billion pieces of information were lost or stolen.
People have now realized that their online activities create personally identifiable information (PII), becoming a significant privacy concern. It dawned on them that their personal information may be mishandled, leaked, or utilized in a bad manner. Here are a few examples:
- In 2014, Facebook picked over half a million users at random and manipulated their news feeds.
- In 2015, 37.5 million medical records were stolen from Anthem Inc. servers, whose overall cost was $363.
- In 2017, consumers lost $16 billion due to identity theft.
2018-2021: Technology’s Inevitable Influence on Privacy
Embracing internet privacy as a human right was a significant step forward in 2018! Governments passed legislation on online privacies and put strict restrictions on companies on user data collection. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is one of the initiatives. Implementing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) taught people that their data may be protected (well, sort of). Besides, more and more private enterprises came into the picture and launched different cybersecurity applications and tools to ensure users’ privacy and technology over the web. Explore Google Workspace security vs O365 to learn their security features and make an informed decision about which one to use for your business.
Summary
You could protect your information by not providing any personal details to a company or organization in the past. Today, it is nearly impossible for us to avoid being tracked online, and if we want to use technology at all, we have no choice but to give up our technological privacy somehow. The best thing that you can do now is understand how these technologies work so that they don’t take advantage of you and then learn how to limit their ability as much as possible. We hope that this blog post has helped you understand how your privacy and technology have evolved over the years and how has the internet changed the world in general.
