Privacy & Security

In this discussion, I will be examining the relationship between privacy and security. Now a day’s, with the increase in social media culture, more and more people are sharing things online. A recent study showed that teens are sharing more information about themselves on social media sites than they did in the past. (Merriam-Webster, n.d) From the material being shared online, somethings are public, yet some are private. The bigger issue here is that if the private material is no longer private, it can be used against us and therefore threaten our security.

I choose these topics because my privacy and security are very important to me and also the problem of decreasing privacy and security is something that all people need to be aware of in order to take action against protecting themselves from it.

Privacy and security complement each other because the less people know about your private information, the safer you are from harmful crimes. As Jennifer Fischer says in her article; “There are certain pieces of information, including you social security number, full birthdate, payment card information or banking information that should never be shared on social media. Other information, like your full name, mother's maiden name, pet's name, phone number, physical and email address may seem harmless, but can give criminals enough clues to answer security questions and break into your financial or online accounts.” (Fischer, 2013) even the slightest information can lead to some harm.

A new way to look at this matter is if our security is high, so is our privacy. An article by PC World says “failing to choose a secure password” is one of the reasons that causes security breaches. This means invasion of privacy. If security is high than criminals won’t be able to hack your accounts and data base.

The only way in which these two topics would oppose each other is if the information people give out does not affect their security; often businesses give out their cell phone numbers, addresses, emails and names in order to increase awareness. SMBs need to think carefully about how and where to gain exposure for the business, and consider the consequences of sharing sensitive information publicly (Bradley, n.d). The direct relationship of more privacy equals more security doesn’t apply here, yet a secure ratio between the two is required to be protected from criminals

I believe that privacy and security are related to each other. In today’s era, people can become victims of crimes such as fraud, identity theft, and cyber bullying etc. which all result from invasion of privacy. As mentioned in the infographic, the sad state of social media privacy, “As many as 1 in 2 consumers reported they have suffered an online breach of privacy in recent years.”(Infographic, 2012). Furthermore, according to the article, OMG, too much info! “A new national survey published by Visa today found that American consumers are sharing some of their most sensitive personal information on social networks…More than 58 percent of consumers surveyed admitted to sharing personal details over social media that could put them at risk for fraud and identity theft.” This leads further into the idea that less information sharing means higher security.

Privacy is known as “the quality or state of being apart from company or observation: SECLUSION” or “freedom from unauthorized intrusion” (Merriam-Webster, n.d)

Security is known as “the state of being protected or safe from harm” (Merriam-Webster, n.d)

• Bradley, Tony. "Ten Best Practices to Prevent Data and Privacy Breaches." PCWorld. PCWolrd. Web. 22 Nov. 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.pcworld.com/article/236843/ten_best_practices_to_prevent_data_and_privacy_breaches.html?page=2
• Fischer, J. (2013, August 18). Fraud news- OMG, 2 much info! Retrieved from Visa Security Sense: http://www.visasecuritysense.com/en_US/fraud-news.jsp#OMG2muchinfo
• Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 22 Nov. 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/privacy
• Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 22 Nov. 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/security
• "The Sad State of Social Media Privacy [Infographic] - MDG Advertising | Marketing News and Trends." MDG Advertising. MDG Advertising, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. http://www.mdgadvertising.com/blog/the-sad-state-of-social-media-privacy-infographic