Pros and Cons

Data privacy and data protection laws were created for the safety of users and their personal data when accessing the internet. With data privacy comes the positive and negative effects it has on users and how they are affected by this.

 PROS 

The use of data privacy encourages the use of freedom of speech due to anonymity. The internet has many sites, groups, forums, etc. which allow users to exploit their First Amendment right and discuss any topic of their liking. People are more likely to talk about such topics when there is a little to no chance of being judged by what they say/write online. Due to data tracking, users are more likely to only see what interest them when on social media sites which makes them access the internet more often. When accessing sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., users have the ability to hide posts from their newsfeed and block/unfollow other users. This way users won't be able to see irrelevant posts/people when scrolling through their newsfeed.

Company's benefit a good amount from data privacy. They are able to protect the company's valuable information, such as client information, and this is very important. Clients form bonds with companies based off trust and supply and demand, so a companies software needs to be frequently updated to its latest version to prevent being hacked. Hackers can leak all client information to the public and this can cause a company to lose all their clients and take a major downfall in a matter of days.

 CONS 

When discussing the pros of data privacy, we can not forget to mention the cons and how we can improve it. Data privacy increases the chance of possibly abusing others online. Users are able to hide behind a computer when online, so they are able to say whatever they want without repercussions. Certain comments from users can be very harsh, hateful, and even threatening to others and they can lead to more serious problems such as cyber bullying. Identity theft is considered a major con because it is very easy to take the identity of someone if you are sitting behind a computer. People will do this to attempt to steal money from your family and friends.