Privacy in Exchange for Convenience or Free Services
Jabari Bell
Ms. Lowry
ENG 1101
28 October 2013
Diagnostic Essay Should people give up their privacy in exchange for convenience or free services? Is your personal business for sell? Anybody with common sense would jump at the chance to receive a free phone service. But most individuals don’t think about the potential risks that come with allowing a company to access your calls and computer.
First of all, I would want to know if the phone service is reliable. Just because it is free of charge doesn’t mean it is worth relaying the company my personal information. To elaborate, I know most of if not all cell phone services are weaker in one area from the next. I stay in a more rural part of town without many signal towers. And I certainly do not expect a free telephone service have the greatest of signals.
Then, I would be skeptical about giving my information to any service that is offering anything that is “free”. On a daily basis companies would call my home phone trying their best to sell me their latest product. So I would be hesitant to entertain the free phone service, but the catch would definitely turn me off. Even if it doesn’t cost me to talk I still feel that it is an invasion of privacy to listen to my conversations. No one would like that feel of someone looking over their shoulder.
Beyond the privacy issue I wouldn’t want my phone service interacting with my internet. Pop-ups and viruses are very annoying. After listening to a few of my phone calls the company will send any and every notification to persuade me to buy items. For example, I have a lower-level brand laptop, so after a while when the alerts began to build up it slows down. As a result, I would have to pay for another laptop and phone service.
Should people give up their privacy in exchange for convenience or free services? I don’t recommend it; free services have several potential risks and concerns. They can cause customers to be uncomfortable, technical difficulties, and
Ms. Lowry
ENG 1101
28 October 2013
Diagnostic Essay Should people give up their privacy in exchange for convenience or free services? Is your personal business for sell? Anybody with common sense would jump at the chance to receive a free phone service. But most individuals don’t think about the potential risks that come with allowing a company to access your calls and computer.
First of all, I would want to know if the phone service is reliable. Just because it is free of charge doesn’t mean it is worth relaying the company my personal information. To elaborate, I know most of if not all cell phone services are weaker in one area from the next. I stay in a more rural part of town without many signal towers. And I certainly do not expect a free telephone service have the greatest of signals.
Then, I would be skeptical about giving my information to any service that is offering anything that is “free”. On a daily basis companies would call my home phone trying their best to sell me their latest product. So I would be hesitant to entertain the free phone service, but the catch would definitely turn me off. Even if it doesn’t cost me to talk I still feel that it is an invasion of privacy to listen to my conversations. No one would like that feel of someone looking over their shoulder.
Beyond the privacy issue I wouldn’t want my phone service interacting with my internet. Pop-ups and viruses are very annoying. After listening to a few of my phone calls the company will send any and every notification to persuade me to buy items. For example, I have a lower-level brand laptop, so after a while when the alerts began to build up it slows down. As a result, I would have to pay for another laptop and phone service.
Should people give up their privacy in exchange for convenience or free services? I don’t recommend it; free services have several potential risks and concerns. They can cause customers to be uncomfortable, technical difficulties, and