Many People Put Their Personal Information Online For Purposes Such As Signing Up For Social Networks | Band 7.5 IELTS Essay Sample
Many people put their personal information online (address, telephone number, and so on) for purposes such as signing up for social networks or online banking. Is this a positive or negative development?
Here is a band 7.5 IELTS essay on this topic written by one of our students. Need help with IELTS writing? Get your IELTS essays, letters and reports corrected by me.
Band 7.5 IELTS essay sample
Social networking and online banking sites often ask for the users’ personal information such as their address and mobile number for sign up and people provide them with the information. In my opinion, it is a negative development because such information can be accessed by third parties and also, in the worst-case scenario, hackers might take control of their accounts.
Personal information given online can be available to the third-party companies which can use it for their own agenda such as to promote their products or show the relevant ads. In the recent past, for instance, a video sharing platform was under the limelight for stealing user data for their own benefits. They allegedly showed users advertisement based on their search on the internet. This critically affects the user’s choice making and, in some sense, makes them deprived of free-thinking. Such acts can lead to monopoly of certain companies in the market which is surely a negative development.
In addition to the third-party involvement, unauthorised persons, such as hackers, can take advantage of the user’s personal details, especially in the case of online banking. They either steal all their money or blackmail their users, using their programming skills. This can pose a serious threat to people’s information. Interestingly, these hackers cannot be traced easily as they operate from fake locations. There have been many instances where these hackers stole all the money without even letting the bank know.
In conclusion, putting personal information is not safe at all as it can be accessed by hackers and third parties for their own benefits. Therefore, people should be cautious while providing their details on the internet.
