Do we know what we are authorizing when we accept the Terms and Conditions of an application or software that we are installing in our mobile devices? We know that, with the adequate permission, most mobile apps may access much of the information that we store in our devices (photograms, location, internal storage, contacts, etc.)

Some research shows that, in the near future, all our private information may be available to and within the ready of everyone on the Internet.

We should ask ourselves how private our data on the Internet is. It is clear that the information we share on social networks or through communication systems allows other users to obtain a lot of data about us, about who we are or about what we do and think.

And how is that possible? The answer is quite easy: we accept that to happen from the very moment we give our authorization. In general, we do not read the fine print of a contract, do we?

 But we are not the only ones to blame for willingly making information public, because generally our acquaintances and/or contacts also disclose unauthorized contents, mostly without permission.

Within the last few years, professionals have carried out studies on the dynamic behavior of networks, concluding that by 2025 our privacy will have definitively ended and that we will not be able to prevent our information and personal data from becoming public given the public nature of the Internet.

At present, there is an unmeasurable amount of personal information stored in complex network servers worldwide, which generate – and constantly update – the profile of each individual through artificial intelligence. What we eat, buy and like, what scares us, etc. absolutely everything is specified with a full name.

A simple analysis of  the purpose of social networks -beyond the use that any of us may make of them – shows that they are based on three principles: keeping the user linked to the screen as much  time as possible; gathering, storing and analyzing data about their behavior; giving companies the opportunity to direct their ads to the target public thanks to the knowledge of us and of our likes which they get from our activities on the networks. Thus, we understand that, even if social networks represent a technological advance, nothing innocent or harmless lies behind their use. 

Nowadays we are not aware that data are the most precious treasure which huge operators are beginning to exploit – without the users’ knowledge – or do not even have an idea of their profitability.

Google knows what time you leave for or return from work, where and with whom you have been, if you have bought a cup of coffee or a book, if you drive a certain car, as well as what you are going to have for dinner and where and with whom you are going to share that meal. That is how big companies intelligently design adequate ads according to each profile, likes and necessities.

And how does it possibly know so much about us? That is easy. Let’s analyze again the type of information that we turn accessible whenever we start our mobile phones or computers.

Practically all countries have a “Personal Data Protection Law. In Argentina, we have Law No. 25326, which was approved exactly 20 years ago! (in October 2000).

We understand that countries should urgently work on a new legislation with an approach adapted to the new reality, which should not only expand the range of data protection but also more effectively regulate their use on social networks and the Internet in general.

Even the emergence and development of new and more complex “digital” crimes call for an update consistent with all the criminal law guidelines, either locally, regionally or internationally.

Looking to the future, we find an issue of concern: the latent vulnerability of young generations in this regard.

Adolescents are the most active users in social networks and, in general, they do not reflect upon the idea of privacy in the digital world. Many times, the line dividing public from private matters are almost nonexistent for them: they post all of their experiences.

We have to understand that we need to fight for getting our personal data more protected in order to continue to have not only an individual value but also a collective one as a society, which should preserve right to privacy.

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