Privacy

     New media brings forth a lot of privacy issues that deal with the confidentiality of user data. Information that is collected on our social media sites, online retailers, and other browser-related uses is data mined by companies and some are sold by information collection companies. Sometimes we wonder how these telemarketers have our numbers, and it's probably because some website we entered it in sold our information. There is also information stored in databases like our social security numbers, credit card information, bank information and our personal details to match those records. Every now and then we hear about cases of hackers stealing this information from banks or private companies. A few years ago I had a friend who was notified by Citi Bank that there was such a hacking incident and he had to make changes to his bank account. This is a big concern because it will be so easy to have our identity stolen (as well as money or our credit scores ruined) by individuals that specialize in identity theft. I did my term paper on the pros and cons of new media (most specifically social media), and privacy is definitely one of the top concerns and something that will always be at risk. Studies showed that with just a full name and address, your identity can be stolen. This kind of information is easily obtained on people's Facebook profiles and social media accounts. Many users give their personal information out either without knowing or caring about their privacy. This includes signing up for freebies when they ask for your phone number, email, and name. Once the companies get our information, we have no control over who has access to it anymore.