The internet and the “Terms and Agreements” provided in each application or website searched on the wide web can be a dangerous thing by just one click of a button that says “Accept“. By agreeing, one grants permission to their owners to collect and sell personal details. Facebook, Google, Twitter and all other source of connection via the web are used for both personal entertainment as well that it can be useful and beneficial to others controlling it. While reading various articles and watching videos regarding the “privacy and security” of each application shows how little respect they have to our personal information. It extracts information about our habits, inside preferences, financial situation, social circle and more. When one visits various websites on the internet, there are companies which are tracking their every movement. These companies track what sites one goes, what they purchase, where they click and how much time one spends on each website. Information such as: photos, comments, likes, tweets, history searches and more are used by other companies to obtain more benefits.

While completing this assignment, I took the liberty to instruct myself on what Google has on me by going to myactivity.google.com/myactivity . As stated in the articles, Google has kept search histories of mine from class assignments to personal searches for entertainment, deleted activity, music history and more. This can be both a blessing and a curse. I personally don’t mind Google keeping my search history, because if a certain situation happens where I lose my tabs, with just on click of a button I can obtain them all again. Of course, one must know the risks they take when entering the web. They must be careful at all times. All in all, everything can be defended depending on the choice of the person.

There are a number of browser extensions that help control when these certain companies get our information. Browsers such as Disconnect give us control over whether or not the sites that one visits collects information about us and send them to other related companies. While divulging into this experiment, I entered in two most commonly used website I use on a daily basis. The results of how many possible or affirmative sites were tracking me was shocking.

Each if the articles and videos that I have discovered through today’s assignment has spoken out to me on certain topics. The internet powerfully influences industry structure and sustainable competitive advantage. These informations can be collected, analyzed and even sold by the social media to its affiliates and partners. It obtains information one wouldn’t think about or wouldn’t put too much importance of on a daily basis. Social media platforms, website and mobile applications collect, process and profile your data into statistics that are ready to be sold. During my experiment, doubts have been cleared up to me on how the internet works. We all know that the internet is the least private source, but with good networking sites, our searches and histories can be protected if chosen. The web has impacted us through centuries and it will only keep advancing, to this being said, one must be aware of all the circumstances before entering.

Here is a video explaining more in depth on how the internet stores our information.