In late January, Apple discovered a terrifying bug on FaceTime. This bug allows users to listen in on who they’re calling even if the recipient doesn’t answer. In other words, anyone could eavesdrop on a person’s conversations. The discovery of the bug alarmed many people, leading to countless users turning off the FaceTime app completely. Although this issue was solved, this has not been the only instance where users’ security was at risk. In September of 2018, Facebook hackers breached the system and received access to 50 million users’ accounts. 50 million users. That is absurd. Why do we allow for these issues to continue to occur? Who’s to blame for these monstrosities? What changes can be made to protect our privacy?
In my opinion, I believe that there’s no specific person to blame for these security issues. I, however, know there are multiple factors that lead the compromising of users’ privacy. Users’ ignorance, simple technological mistakes, and lack of regulation all cause our digital security to suffer at times. Thankfully, ignorance and a need for laws can be solved. How can we fix this?
Before hearing about the FaceTime bug, I used it fairly often. I’d think nothing of my privacy when chatting, believing that Apple has legitimate security for its users. Now, I can’t believe I was so trusting of an app that could easily turn against me. Younger generations have grown up around technology, so they know nothing of its potential danger. Teenagers on social media constantly give out their personal information. Although many kids don’t know any better, nobody stops them. We, as a whole, need to spread more awareness about technology and the importance of our digital security. Fully trusting technology with private information can only lead to more issues. Although it truly isn’t our fault that security breaches occur, if everyone was more cautious, less harm would be done when these happen.
On the other hand, more than raising awareness should be done to prevent future breaches. The government needs to be more involved in people’s privacy. This is a major issue for many people, and companies should not be the only ones responsible for creating regulations. If there was one distinct law regarding this for all digital companies, the rate of breaches in general would definitely decrease.
In the end, this digital security issue needs to be solved. The best way for this is to bring more attention to it and instill government regulations. The safety of our private information needs to be everyone’s top priority.
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