Pretty much everyone will agree that the past year has changed our perception of the tech industry pretty drastically. This is mostly because of the fact that a number of tech companies, Facebook in particular, have been revealed as being extremely careless with their data protection management. Not only that but there have been numerous cases of tech giants blatantly misusing data that users have entrusted them with, all to make a profit. Hence, it is understandable that consumers have started to see technology companies for what they are and have slowly started to take their privacy and security more seriously.
Government officials seem to be taking note of such things as well. Recently, the Competition Commissioner for the European Union, Margrethe Vestager, in an interview to BBC has stated that our relationship with tech is becoming darker and that we need to take measures to prevent tech from breaking privacy laws and becoming a nuisance instead of the harbinger of positive change that it is supposed to be. The European Union has in many ways been a standard bearer for the users of internet, protecting them without question. Examples of this can be seen in the record breaking 4.3 billion euros that the European Union fined Google for the tech companies attempts to use Android to maintain a monopoly over search results.
Photo: Francois Lenoir / Reuters
Further Reading: Recent Reports Reveal Public Distrust of Facebook
Government officials seem to be taking note of such things as well. Recently, the Competition Commissioner for the European Union, Margrethe Vestager, in an interview to BBC has stated that our relationship with tech is becoming darker and that we need to take measures to prevent tech from breaking privacy laws and becoming a nuisance instead of the harbinger of positive change that it is supposed to be. The European Union has in many ways been a standard bearer for the users of internet, protecting them without question. Examples of this can be seen in the record breaking 4.3 billion euros that the European Union fined Google for the tech companies attempts to use Android to maintain a monopoly over search results.
Related: The 21 biggest data breaches of 2018The European Union is doing a lot to protect user privacy and regulate the tech industry, including the data protection bill that was passed earlier this year. However, more needs to be done in order to keep regular users safe from tech companies that have run amok, otherwise things could end up becoming dire in the near future. Users need to keep tech companies in check in their own capacity as well if they want to stay as safe as possible.
Photo: Francois Lenoir / Reuters
Further Reading: Recent Reports Reveal Public Distrust of Facebook
