Google has recently spent millions of dollars encrypting the information flowing through its data centres worldwide. Other tech giants such as Facebook and Twitter are planning similar encryption measures to prevent intruders from snooping around and gathering data. Since the NSA surveillance scandal surfaced in June, these major tech corporations have sped up the project timelines to encrypt their own internal systems.
They could be watching you right now.
(Courtesy of zazzle.com)
Google, Facebook and Twitter are essentially covering their own behinds because their entire business model relies on consumers using the website. Consumers must feel that they are storing their data and personal information in a secure server and it cannot be easily obtained by the government or a stranger from across the ocean. While corporations can encrypt online data to a certain extent, the best line of defence is still our decisions. Websites such as Google, Facebook and Twitter store consumer data to generate relevant advertisements; it really does not matter how heavily the information is encrypted, internet hackers around the world are bound to find a loop. That is it hacker’s job. Just as the saying goes that “rules are meant to be broken”, any encryption put onto information that is on the web can be circumvented. The best line of defence for us is to simply choose to not put any information onto the internet.
Sources:
Gidda, Mirren. “Edward Snowden and the NSA Files â Timeline.” Theguardian. The Guardian, 26 July 2013. Web. 01 Nov. 2013.
Miller, Claire Cain. “Angry Over U.S. Surveillance, Tech Giants Bolster Defenses.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.