Date: 6 February 2015
Exercise: Getting The Most Out of Academic Texts
Reading response based on the article "The perils of over-sharing in social networks":
(Emm (2014))
addresses the various consequences of over-sharing in internet. With the
advance in technology, internet has become important in our lives. We become
more relying on internet services beyond communication. For instance, we use
internet for shopping, banking and socializing. Sometimes, we might need to
share our personal information with the service providers to gain access to the
services. For example, Facebook requests the permission to read SMS and MMS
messages of application installer for two-factor authentication. Some of us
might even share some personal information in the social media openly without knowing
that it might cause security issues to ourselves and the organization that we
work for. Emm suggests that we have “false sense of security” when using a
mobile device such as smartphone and tablet because they are not “traditional target
for cybercriminals”. He also argues that every internet account holder has a
risk of data leakage due to losing of mobile devices.
I think that
I am very fortunate to be benefited from the development of internet since it eases
and enhances my quality of life by providing all sorts of services. For example, I am able to buy apparels from
overseas and transfer the payment to the seller via internet; the process from
buying to payment can be done within 10 minutes. Besides, it entertains me with
social media and music website. For example, social media is an important
platform for me to stay connected with my friends in Malaysia and I used
it as a music player while doing my homework. As such, I appreciate the existence of internet.
However,
there are some drawbacks for using the internet and I am aware that I am
bearing some risks. Most of the developers of application would be asking for
permission to control or access to some device’s function. Undeniably, some
personal information is needed for the service provider since it directly
relates to the service. For example, a courier company which provides online
service needs the address of recipient, so that it could complete customers’
requests. However, some of the service providers require access to sensitive
user information although it might not be relevant to the service provide. This
information includes precise location, text messages, phone call, contacts and
hardware control. The reasons for companies to acquire this information remain
unclear. It is possible that this information is used for advertising and sharing
with third parties. From my point of view, accessing to this information is
invasion of privacy. One must remember that companies will have to obtain the
prior consent before installing the application. Hence, we must read through
the permission or terms and conditions carefully before engaging with their
services.
Apart from
this, having control of the device might cause economic losses. For instance,
the unauthorised controller of the device could transfer money via SMS. This
situation might be worsening with the growing trend of “mobile wallets”, which causes
the transaction of money becomes easy and prevalent; hence we might overlook
its potential risk.
Oversharing
is also a problem with internet users. The internet is a good platform for us to
express our emotions and thoughts. Nevertheless, we start to share some
personal details which might make us a target for criminals. For example, the
criminals can get information about their victims’ whereabouts, workplace and even
who is in their circle of friends from the internet and utilise it to do harm to the internet users in real
life. So, we have to be cautious with the information that we share and avoid
sharing details that may allow someone else to stalk us.
In
conclusion, I agree with the author that the internet brings advantages and disadvantages to our
life. It is definitely a powerful tool that brings convenience. However, we
should know that as users, we have the right to decline any risky application and also avoid sharing sensitive
information that should not be revealed.
Source:
Emm, D.
(2014, March 21). The perils of over-sharing in social networks. Huffpost
Tech. Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/david-emm/the-perils-of-over-sharing-in-social-networks_b_5005276.html
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePeer review by Alicia:
ReplyDeleteI think that you have stated your opinion about the "over-sharing" in the internet quite well. However, I think maybe the use of examples on the danger of this on social networks would provide a good support for your point.
I agree that information has been over-shared on social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, too. It could also be possible that because we don't see physically who is looking at our posts, we may assume that only our friends see it. Even if you may have limited the access to your profile to your social network friends only, the information may still be leaked by word-of-mouth or even unknowingly when someone peeks at your friend's screen when he/she is looking at your account. Also, if we consider what others may use our information for, it may deter us from posting certain posts. We tend to not think thoroughly about what we are posting because we don't see ourselves vulnerable to threats like these. However, I think we should start to be more vigilant against online attacks because on numerous occasions, the hackers are the ones capable and have committed these attacks and not just the companies. In fact, many of them have hacked into websites to steal data, using them maliciously. Hackers may also choose to target individuals more instead of big firms because they usually have established security plans, while we are easier targets. Thus, we need to consider not just the "over-sharing" but also the "sharing" on social websites.
It may seem almost impossible to not share at all, but we should always be alert to the possibility of endangering ourselves through online means.
These are some suggestions for some of the sentences used in this article.
Some of us might even share some personal information in the social media openly without knowing that it might cause …
… I used it as a music player while doing my homework.
I think that I am very fortunate to have benefited from the development of the internet since it eases and enhances my quality of life by providing all sorts of services.
However, there are some drawbacks of using the internet
It is possible that these information are used for advertising and sharing purposes.
From my point of view, by accessing to these information without prior permission from their clients for unstated uses is a way of invasion of privacy/invading users' privacy.
… it is compulsory for companies to/the companies will have to obtain the prior consent before the install of application.
This situation might be worsen the growing trend of the “mobile wallets”, where transactions of money becomes easy and prevalent
… which might make us a target for these crimes.
For example, the criminals can get information about their victims' whereabouts, their workplace and even who is in their circle of friends from the internet and utilise it to do harm to them in real life.
So, we have to be cautious about the information we share and avoid sharing details that may allow someone else to keep an eye on/stalk us.
… we should know that as users, we have rights to deny access to applications that may be risky for us to use and also the sensitive information that should not be revealed.
I hope this may be helpful to you.
this is the link to the checklist: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o1K0sZwN44-s3ienJ0yTXWFio4DSWElzi6jOAjFyxDs/edit?usp=sharing
- Alicia
However, social media can act as a double edged sword, causing harm to the company if mishandled. For example, in the year 2011, ex-NTUC Assistance Director Amy Cheong made racist remarks on Facebook (Janette, 2012). Although the remarks were not made by NTUC, the general public associated Amy Cheong toWW NTUC, and consequently, the remark was associated with the company. On a related note, the company could be harmed if employees are not well trained and respond with an unsatisfactory or misleading answersWF. This might driveWW more dissatisfaction than a lack of interaction in the absence of a social media page. However, these issues can be reduced with proper training and performing due diligence when hiring.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, in this globalized world, it is essential for a company no matter ^ which country and industry it comes from to be involved in social media activities. It is considered a need rather than a want. If it is utilized properly, it can serve as a competitive advantage and help the company generate higher revenue. This article really exciteWF/WW /me. I ORG/would be willing to read something related to this article as it helps me to explore my thoughts on social media benefits and drawbacks. I would definitely recommend this article to friends that have ^ interest in social media or those who wishesVF to start-up a business of their own.
Apart from this, having control of the device might cause economic losses. For instance, the unauthorised controller of the device could transfer theRED money via SMS. This situation might be worsenWF with the growing trend of theRED “mobile wallets”, which ^ ^ transaction of money becomes easy and prevalent; hence we might overlook its potential risk.
ReplyDeleteOversharing is also a problem with internet users. ^ Internet is a good platform for us to express our emotionWF and thoughts. Nevertheless, we start to share some personal details which might make us a target for criminals. For example, the criminals can get information about their victims’ whereabouts, workplace and even who is in their circle of friends from the internet and utilise it to do harm to the internet users in real life. So, we have to be cautious onWW the information that we share and avoid sharing ofRED details that may allow someone else to stalk us.
In conclusion, I agree with the author that ^ internet brings advantages and drawbacksWW to our life. It is definitely a powerful tool that brings convenience /to our lifeREP/. However, we should know that as users, we have the rightsWF to decline any risky application and also ^ ^ ^ theRED sensitive information that should not be revealed.