Can individual privacy protected in the modern world?

Depending on what we are, the answers may well vary, and they all make sense, but in my view, individual privacy does not seem to be fully protected in our world today. I hold this view for mainly three reasons.

First, as technology advances, everyone and everything is increasingly connected online. Consequently, businesses and governments can access our personal information without our explicit consent. Moreover, tech giants such as Google and Microsoft openly track our online behavior and preferences to optimize their advertising.

Next, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has allowed governments enhanced monitoring for ‘public health’ reasons. For example, they have installed surveillance cameras every public space and developed smartphone apps to track people’s movements to contain the pandemic. However, these measures can also infringe on our privacy rights.

In addition, some might argue that privacy protection laws are in place. However, while people tend to use new services without sufficient knowledge of privacy protection, it takes time for laws to respond to new privacy violations. This is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to protect privacy today.

In conclusion, I am not convinced that our privacy is sufficiently protected in society based on the reasons mentioned above. (201 words)