In this era of sophistication, technological advancements have transformed various aspects of our daily life, particularly in banking transaction, shopping and the list goes on. With the rise of using Internet, people from all walks of life are required to provide their personal information such as credit card number, identification card number, bank number and so on. While some people claim that this trend can bring about a sense of convenience, I firmly believe that it poses more risks to privacy and security
On the one hand, the trend towards sharing personal information online offers unparalleled convenience. With just a few taps on smartphone or computer, individuals can effortlessly buy necessity things or do their financial planning without any physical action. For example, a lot of people prefer online shopping rather than go to shopping mall. They just need to provide their bank account number and OTP verification code in order to finish ordering. This eliminates the hassle of carrying cash, counting change or exposed to theft or robbery.
In contrast, this kind of trend will resort to invasion of privacy. Although the private information put online are often encrypted and protected by multiple layers of security systems such as passwords, biometrics and two-factor authentication, the hackers in other countries still can utilize their powerful IT skills in order to hack your computer and get your confidential information easily. For example, hackers will provide the links with virus to those who are careless of any unfamiliar messages, in order to get the authority of people’s device. For those whose computers have never installed any network security system such as VPN, firewalls and the list goes on, the case will even get worsen.
To put it succinctly, placing people’s personal information online have their own strengths and weaknesses. Although there are different views on this trend, I am convinced that this development is more detrimental to our society. The misuse of personal information are strong enough to support my argument. Government and related authorities must take preventive measures before the situation is further aggravated.