Check out our podcast on the Privacy Paradox!
Although I did not complete the daily challenges, I was very pleased to see that there are alternatives to the big tech companies’ services most people use on a daily basis. For example, I can see myself using Firefox over Google for web browsing and searching.
In terms of where I stand on the paradox, I am a big fan of the convenience that companies like Google and Facebook have incorporated into their services, and as a result, I feel comfortable using these services for daily tasks. Using a superior product for free in exchange for highly specific ads is a fair deal to me. However, after listening to this series, I think I would consider using these services for a fee if the option was available. For example, if an ad-free and profiling-free Gmail cost $10/month (or something else relatively low), I would definitely at least consider doing that.
In terms of privacy in general, it is definitely something that needs to be preserved going into the future. Just because technology has been developed that can profile people based on what they do online does not justify rampant use of it for every kind of purpose. I admit, I really don’t mind Google collecting info on me to give me specific ads, but I would mind if the government could use the same information to monitor law-abiding people. Technology should not be construed as an excuse for a lack of privacy, and this burden of maintaining privacy is a task that both technology developers and user alike need to keep in mind as they proceed in this increasingly online, and interconnected, age.
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