The Privacy of Internet Users

     Privacy is something we all need but often don't have. Users on the internet may think that the government has all the responsibility to protect an individual's privacy, and I agree to some extent. Governments shouldn't have the right to invade and see what users are doing, although this is a good way to catch criminals more efficiently. However, most of the responsibility should be given to the user to protect their own privacy. If there are pictures and words that aren't appropriate for the public to see, it is up to the user to make good judgement and not post. Even if companies didn't behave and sold information to the government, there wouldn't be anything to hide if an user posted wisely. Of course, companies should behave better, and the effects of their misbehavior is that they are faced with the disappointment and distrust of users. The unwise users would also be upset at the unfairness of companies, but the responsibility should have been on the user to use the internet properly. To add on, other effects of this situation include making citizens more wary of the power the government has because of their actions.
     Nonetheless, I strongly believe that there is a problem with what companies know about you and can do because companies can sell that information to anyone who wants it. Despite wise use of the internet, the tiniest, meaningless things such as liking a post can affect you and be turned into meaningful information. If you are a student applying for college, any information can deeply affect acceptances to the college of your choice. For adults, companies will want to know if you have what it takes to be hired, and a like on someone's post can determine attributes to your personality such as whether you're smart or not. Managers are always looking for the better applicant, and this could easily cause a person to not get a job. Selling people's information is an invasion of privacy, and companies should not have a right to ruin opportunities. It's not right to take personal information and make it public when the owner of the information doesn't want it public.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3078835/t/online-privacy-fears-are-real/#.U6n0y_ldV48