In today’s modern, technology-driven world, many tend to digitize their personal information for different purposes, namely online banking or social media registration. While this confers upon manifold benefits, it also poses significant risks . In this essay, I will attempt to shed light on this trend, before concluding that it is, in fact, a negative development.
Of course, there are some good grounds for uploading private information on the Internet, perhaps one compelling reason is the conveniences it affords. For example, instead of having to make physical trips to a nearby brick-and-mortar bank to for transactions , people are able to simply just do it virtually at the comfort of their own home via applications using their own login details. This, thus, streamlines the entire banking process, benefiting both the customers and the bank itself. By the same token, providing sensitive information like home addresses, telephone numbers or even credit card information on E-commerce platforms like Amazon or Shopeecreates not only a seamless shopping experience but also facilitates the delivering process, allowing customers to save time and effort on current and future purchases. Considering these advantages, it is easy to understand why some are driven to embrace online sharing practices.
Regardless, I feel that the benefits pale in significance when weighed against the potential drawbacks of such a habit. First, people, especially the elderly, might fall prey to cyber crimes like unethical hacking or scamming, leading to financial losses. This is particularly evidenced by online criminals infiltrating systems by taking advantage of loopholes or leveraging on gullible and tech-naive individuals to steal their money. Worse still, those who get their sensitive information stolen might be subject to identity thief, which affects their loved ones as well. Similarly, greedy companies might illicitly sell private customer data, like phone numbers, to third-parties firms for extra profits. This can result in frustrating telesale calls, as these companies may use the data to target customers with unsolicited marketing campaigns.
In conclusion, although there are some justifications to putting personal info online, I am convinced that the downsides outweigh the benefits.