Are You Really Safe Online?

Commentary by Marcellus Peters-Jackson. Image from Pixabay.

FEB. 2, 2022: Everyone who’s reading this has some form of internet access, and everybody worries about whether they're safe in real life or not. But what even happens when your internet security is compromised? Could your information get leaked to people who want you well….gone?

In short, websites can take your information to get you personalized ads for a better experience. But are these personalized ads better? Or is it just an excuse to steal your information?

Websites like Google don’t exactly steal your information. They only take what you don’t protect—such as saying “yes” to Google Maps when it asks to use your location. This is for tracking areas around you. Say you want to see a movie near your home. You might get an ad about a movie you might like due to what you watch or look up.

So, what then? Google has our information including our location and legal name. Now what? Do we get Google removed from the internet and ruin a lot of people’s economic situations? Well, actually, there’s a solution to keep Google from stealing your data. (And nobody in Google wants you gone, so don’t worry). There’s a Google setting to help you turn a lot of these features off so you don’t have to worry about getting your information stolen at the risk of not getting ads for something you might want to invest your time in, such as a movie theater. 

Basically, be careful of what links you click and what websites you choose….Because some websites want your personal information for some reasons other than ads.

Marcellus Peters-Jackson is a 7th grade scholar at Friendship Woodridge International School.