The Collection of Data From Multiple Sources

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Position Paper: Data Collection
The data collected through multiple means can lead to an imperfect perception of a person’s identity. It is possible to obtain data regarding individuals through various ways like loyalty cards, google, video stores, etc. The data collected is useful to companies and governments. Private businesses like Facebook and Google use the data collected for personalized advertisements (Appel et al. 83). They analyze the data to establish what people are interested in online and hence target them with relevant adverts that match their interests. Governments, especially the police need such data to fight terrorism. However, such data should not be relied on as a determinant of an individual’s perfect identity. Instead, it should be used to build their online identity, which is different from their real identity.
The advancement in technology has facilitated the collection of private data. Police departments have taken advantage of the available tools to better collect, manage and analyze data (Storm 23). The data available can be used to determine individuals who are more likely to engage in criminal activities. Here, the police build profiles of individuals and use the data to monitor the activities of the particular suspects. While this is important for national security, it exposes individuals to data breaches (Cheng et al. 1). However, utilitarianism calls for maximizing the happiness and wellbeing of persons (Veenhoven). Hence, collecting data and building profiles enhances the security of people, despite exposing them to data breaches. People are not sure about the security of their data anymore. “As technology continues to evolve, I become more and more worried about protecting my privacy and/or personal information” (Privacy Presentation, Turner). Privacy is crucial given that individuals do not want their personal information to be shared with unauthorized individuals. “Privacy is very important to me because I don't want my information to be used by others for illegal acts” (Privacy Presentation, Wu).
It is critical to appreciate that online search and website traffic does not determine an individual’s identity (Pan et al. 73). However, it “memorizes your character as a person in a significant pattern” (Identity Presentation, James). Further, “It just shows what your interests are” (Identity Presentation, Gill). Hedonism holds that pleasure is the highest aim of human life (van der Deijl, Willem 1770). People want websites that satisfy their need for pleasure. When individuals visit websites, they may not necessarily find w...