Introduction
The digital environment is made up of cloud storage services, wireless communications, industrial control systems, and information systems. Privacy and personal security have become an issue in the age of social media, video surveillance, and digital footprint. However, there is a risk that the data collected about a user by social media and cloud services could be hacked, thereby violating personal digital privacy.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The growing digital environment is advantageous because of the improvement in cloud services. The growth in cloud computing has made it easy to access information from any location. Social media has also led to more interactions and given rise to multiple industries within it including social media marketing. Surveillance using drones has also led to an increase in the productivity of such tasks. A digital footprint allows for the personalization of software products and the online experience (Romansky, 2017). Furthermore, malware can easily be detected thereby providing better security in the digital environment. The disadvantage is that services like cloud computing require subscriptions, which is costly. There is also the risk of unauthorized access to data and digital resources during a breach.
Importance of the issue
The security privacy and vulnerabilities of the digital environment are important because they affect the personal security of the user. Malware could be installed on the devices and video surveillance undertaken through web cameras installed on such gadgets as laptops and smartphones. Wireless networks can also be used to intercept digital communications and information. Cloud services have also become a norm and it is important to ensure encryption of data to provide security and privacy for its users.
Impacts of the Issue
The issue of personal privacy and security within the digital environment has hugely impacted my life. I was affected by the WannaCry ransomware and I lost access to the files on my computer. I always ensure that my computer is up to date with a virus and backed up regularly using cloud services. I have also ensured that I do not share private information on my social media accounts as it could be targeted by a hacker to cause harm to me. In the end, it is our responsibility to ensure that we protect our information.
References
Romansky, R. (2017). A survey of digital world opportunities and challenges for user’s privacy. International Journal on Information Technologies and Security, 4(9), 97-112.