SOCIAL MEDIA & INTERNET: THE PRIVACY FLAW OF OUR TIME

Excited as we might be about the many opportunities afforded us by the advent of the Internet and Cyberspace, including the Social Media Platforms, it comes with many ills. The Internet has so become relevant to today’s life that it is considered a unique unequaled tool in bettering the work life of man. But it has not been without serious concerns if we examine it closely. It’s easy to count the blessings of having this all-time life revolutionary tool, but the cost is adverse.

For me, arguably, the chief of all these concerns is the privacy breach that it has introduce to our world. In as much as the internet and all these Social Media platforms serves us greatly, we have been lured into a trap we might not be able to get away from in the nearest future.

The Internet is a global network connecting billions of computers in over 190 countries, which are linked to exchange data in different forms using the instrument of the web. As of August 12, 2016, according to Internet Live Stats, there is an estimated 3,432,809,100 internet users in the world. This intercommunication of people has led to the connection and electronic exchange that breaks and surmounts every kind of barrier that separates people, cultures, civilizations, economies, etc.

For our understanding, all internet communication are made possible by means of an Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to link many computers and devices. These IPs serve as the addresses of these computers and devices online. This has made each computer identifiable, and accessible from any part of the world; which is referred to as hacking. In addition the “legal hacking” that most consumers of the internet and mobile devices ignorantly consent to in bulky terms & conditions.   

 Every phone/device are interconnected by means of the internet and can be accessed with the right means from where so ever. Smart phones have actually facilitated the mobility of this connection. The Social media upon which most of this is built makes the porosity of our privacy disturbing.

For instance, all applications used on our phones today access our private information at will and transmit via the internet to only God knows where, unfortunately enough, with our permission. The shots below are example of a prompts you get when installing any application on a phone/device. From Facebook, WhatsApp, twitter, utility apps, etc, all these applications are designed specifically to work with our phone contents [which is ideal], but has turn to be the grave tunnel into our personal lives.

This involves giving permission to these apps to access & modify contacts, messages, audio, and location. In addition to reading your memory cards, modify or delete content, etc…

As a result, the internet, social media platforms and phones and devices have become the major privacy-bridge of our time. As long as your phone or device connects to the internet, personal data inside it can be remotely hacked and accessed despite all the privacy all these companies promised. Even if they don’t willingly do so, independent 3^rd party organizations/ individual hackers have violated the privacy of the world with this loop.

Phone/social media companies today monitor your every move via phone GPS/Maps/location features enabled on our devices. Social Media sites like Facebook have been gradually changing its terms and conditions in other to reduce the privacy control power of its customers and by remaining on Facebook, you automatically agree to these changes.

Recently, I noticed the Facebook app uses the numbers of contacts saved on my phone to suggest friends to me to add on Facebook if we were not already friends. How did Facebook know to suggest them to me? How did they know I should know them? By ‘automatically’ synchronizing via accessing my contacts with their application. If the application can access and smartly analyse my contact, what would it not hijack?

In fact, to add to my trouble is how I have (and indeed many others who have recently updated their Facebook app) been already receiving notification to send friend request to contacts on my phone “that are not yet registered on Facebook” so they will be automatically added when they get on. Shouldn’t that concern you? That someone somewhere has access to all your personal information, phone numbers, back accounts, PINs, etc and use them as they so please? Does it not bother you?

You might say you have nothing to hide and so throw this off but wait a bit. Did you know that there are evidences that data collected from your personal communication online are been taken advantage of by mobile device companies and social media sites; where they sell same to third party companies that in turn provide services to the public. Yes, you have nothing to fear, because you have Jesus, you are safe, etc…should you then be at the mercy of manipulators while you can still handle your life with caution?

Have you heard of “Way Back Machine”? Read about it please. In reading you will not get the real facts for what it was designed for because they present it to the World as a good tool which actually, is for ‘their’ good. Did you know that this machine could browse history and dig out every single thing you have ever posted online? Every single information you have every put out there and deleted is not actually deleted. At least, only for temporary view, but can always be recall whenever it is needed. One thing the average internet user has not found out is that whatever you send into the internet can never be lost or deleted. Yes I mean nothing you ever post on the internet can ever be recalled or deleted. Again, yes, your delete key function is not for real. So take heed!

Gradually, the boundaries for personal lives is gradually been broken. The distinction is been removed the world government want to have every single bit of information about you. What you do, things you like, what interests you, etc. All they tell you is, “it’s a globalized World”.

Facebook and some of those other media have lured the world into exposing their personal lives without limit. Today, even things you keep private on Facebook can be seen by the public. Little advice here: keep whatever you wanna keep personal/secret off phones and offline. Once it hits ANY electronic device, it has become public.

Truth is the internet and advanced cyber-technology is facilitating the agenda of the “World Government” against the Christian faith. And I dear say, it will be a valuable tool for the Antichrist.

As believers, employing the used of these tools (internet/social media/phones, etc), we must find that we apply wisdom, not overusing, engrossed and trapped in it. For the form of this world and everything that is in it is passing away, and the lives of all who is built upon the solid foundation, Jesus, will endure forever (1 Corinthians 7.31; 1John 2.15-17). 

Selah.