Opinion | Personal data and privacy: social media users must realise there’s always a price to pay for ‘free’ apps
- While most social media platforms are free, users needs to recognise they are almost always giving up their personal data in exchange for using the service
- By way of comparison, the government’s ‘Leave Home Safe’ app has fewer requirements and is much safer for users’ personal data
According to a survey conducted by my office last year, 77 per cent of respondents had an account with a social media platform and 48 per cent used that platform on a daily basis. In addition, 93 per cent of respondents used smartphones, of which 98 per cent had installed instant messaging apps.
It is interesting to note that, among those who had installed instant messaging apps, 77 per cent were aware that those apps had access to the contact information on their phones. Nevertheless, 35 per cent of the respondents considered such access an invasion of their privacy and 34 per cent considered it a serious invasion.
However, businesses know exactly where to place their adverts through the data they collect from users via their digital footprints.
