Citizens pay with their personal data to use the Internet for free. Google determines the needs of users by analyzing data from various sources. Their earnings depend on advertising. Therefore, the choice of broadcast ads depends on the study of user requests on the Web. Facebook displays advertising information based on user profile data and pages marked “like”.
The use of sharable buttons (Repost, Pluso) allows companies to receive more user data, the sale of which to advertising companies generates additional revenue.
When working with the service, the user agrees to the proposed terms of use of his or her personal data. The services get access to the data when the user logs in or demonstrates interest by clicking on links and tagging publications they like.
Each Internet company protects users’ personal information on the Web in different ways. “Google encrypts the content of emails, the personal details of correspondents and the username they use, and distributes them to three points whose security is ensured by three groups of system administrators. Gaining access to the data requires the coordinated participation of the three groups, which is impossible without internal procedures. Attempts to open unauthorized access to user data are automatically logged and reported to Google security.
Who needs personal information and why?
Personal data is used not only to identify people, but also for fraud. The lack of protection of personal data provokes leaks and information falling into the hands of fraudsters. The most common are:
Data spoofing to perform certain actions. Thanks to the known personal data, it is possible to make a fake account in a social network or conduct a fraudulent operation;
obtaining user’s financial data: credit card numbers, e-wallets, paid online game accounts. Opening access to money requires knowing personal data;
deletion of personal data. Deletion of a user’s personal information blocks the service and the information obtained is used for criminal purposes.
It is not only malefactors who use personal data. Targeting experts are actively interested in users’ personal data. The main source of information for this type of advertising is cookies, which are sent by the user’s browser to the targeting agency’s server.