Data has proven its worth over a period of time. Be it any domain, data is everywhere in the picture these days. Businesses these days are in a need to implement the data model including data extraction, data mining, collecting and trading data. Data has established its worth in a way where it is involved at each and every step.
With such a huge involvement of data, it also makes it vulnerable to huge threats. Currently, there are several active platforms with millions of active users who acquire and sell private user's information without user's consent to the companies at huge prices. Even there are well known social media platforms who ask user's explicit consent to override their privacy settings.
Before going any further, let us explore the source of data to understand the risk and impact. Data originates from various sources namely, social media, online transactions, cell phone, banking transactions, etc.
Every time people login to any social media platform or account, they need to provide certain credentials. Little do they know that they are constantly being observed. The moment you click and accept the terms and conditions raised by any company or website, they save your data or metadata that may be useful somewhere else.
People may think how actually any company can retrieve our data. To answer the statement let us take up live examples from in and around. Do you think your bank restricts you at times all of a sudden to shop or out of nowhere puts a barrier on your withdrawal limit? Many people might think this must be with everyone or obvious phenomena but, you must be surprised to know that your bank keeps all details even of your shopping patterns and bills.
Researchers also state that data is indeed so powerful that it can be used to forecast the future, stop crimes etc. Based on human behaviour, it can be easily found out what data people are looking for and what they are going to search for.
Existing data can be extracted as per the need and converted to a newer, more useful and efficient one. Analyzing the existing data and working on it may lead to achieve big as it not only involves a piece of information, but also gives you the overall picture and details of the changing requirements and the changes to be brought in within self or an organization.
Business growth: Consider any organization, small-scale or a large scale enterprise or a business, they increase their productivity and growth year by year by leveraging the previous year data records and performances. Organizations can validate their decisions by going through the insights based on previous data. This will not only strengthen the growth of an organization but also the risk factor.
Data can improve diagnosis quality: Healthcare sector is a complex one. Patients lack knowledge as well as control. Accessing data can overcome both. Technology already enables people to take an online consultation from the doctors on their go. As per research, data driven diagnosis can replace 80% of errors by doctors and that could be a major improvement in the healthcare sector. Imagine a doctor consuming all the data in context of the latest medical findings and the patient’s history, and figure out what is wrong with patient would significantly reduce the time a patient needs to recover. People can manage their complex diseases and improve the efficiency of their care. Coming days may even allow people to follow their sweating pattern and mobile swapping patterns to know and observe various health factors.
Quality education for all: All students deserve a quality education which is affordable enough to grow them into knowledgeable and successful adults. Data is a powerful tool having the capability to inform, engage and create opportunities for students along their education journey which is much more than just the test scores. Data can be utilized in different ways by teachers, evaluators, students, parents and management. Information like assessments, faculty observations, student actions, their grades, past performances and upcoming activity schedule empowers teachers, students, parents and policymakers to make learning process effective.
Social security: There are instances that we come across everyday which forces us to question on our social security. Be it online frauds, or all the anti-social activities being carried out in our locality, nation or worldwide. If our social security systems utilize the data efficiently it will help a nation eradicate its anti-social elements giving their people the freedom to roam and live without any fear.
As everything has some pros and cons related to it, the browsing patterns as well as the data entered on the web can be used by the brokers and cyber thieves resulting in the misuse.
Hackers have the ability to crack all your data and perform malicious activities. The victims may face loss of data, stolen identity, account hacking etc.
Consider the military affairs of any nation. There are huge data and informations related to the working of the military and their further steps including vast and powerful strategies against the enemy nations, or to safeguard their own nation from any kind of attacks or external elements. It would be a matter of great concern and an alarming situation if such datas are at risk and being sold. In case of any discrepancy in such datas, it can be highly devastating for the whole nation.
In the vast medical field, it is very much necessary to keep each patient details intact. However, hackers do steal these informations for malicious activities which is often termed as “medical identity theft“. They sell the private patient’s information at highest bidding. This is an injustice on the part of an individual whose biological datas are at stake.
Education domain is facing huge data losses as well as data theft. Right from the setting up of question sets to allotment of seats and marks are being interrupted by unauthorised accesses. This is a big crime to play with the future of any student or candidate.
Just imagine of a situation where cyber attackers are trying to gain your data and get in ur identity and this is forecasted well in prior and you are all prepared and ready to tackle the situation.
With the huge advancements in technology, we can make it possible to tackle all the data thefts and discrepancies by collaborating Artificial Intelligence, Image processing and Security Systems.
Users need to be very careful while entering their personal information anywhere. A slight negligence and they might be at risk. Also, it is to be mentioned here that almost 99% of the users don’t even read the terms and conditions as they feel it to be tiring enough. It is not a good practice in the long run. Please note here that any platform where you are required to feed in your credentials or any kind of personal information needs a thorough cross- checking.
Our digital footprints may have an impact on our future life. Posting your private data on the web could be a threat to your online reputation. You may post your thoughts, views, pictures, profiles, etc. on social media but you never know when you have to regret doing so. Seasons change, people change but, data, is forever stored in some form or the other. These days even the employers perform a thorough check of a candidate’s profile on social media to track their activities and background.
Speaking on a broader note, our digital footprints may cause much harm than good if we don’t know how to manage it and use it properly.
The need of the hour lies in spreading awareness among the mass especially the youth to be cautious in managing and utilizing their data well. Major online users consist of our youth who are involved in sharing data at various aspects like studies, transactions, social causes etc. Our youth is our future. Hence, it is needed to make our youth much more responsible and wise while using any form of data.
There are many privacy tools available in the market to safeguard our datas online. It has been the prime focus of many organizations and NGOs over the years to implement tools and strategies to protect our data. Leading organizations should collaborate and take measures to safeguard people’s data widely. Having said that it is our self duty at first place to safeguard our own data as far as it is in our reach and only then rely on the organizations or tools to protect our data. One’s responsibility starts at home.