Week 5

 I read an article recently about the suspect in the recent shooting of the Minnesota senators. The article states that, according to court documents, the alleged shooter may have used online data broker websites to obtain personal information and addresses of the lawmakers. Data brokers are companies that collect and sell personal information of individuals without direct consent from the person. This data can be used for a wide variety of things, including advertising purposes or background checks. This is a huge privacy violation, as this information can be used maliciously in this case. This raises a grave concern that our personal data is readily and easily available to be used. It shows how our personal data is being treated as a commodity, with little regard for the harms that can result. We have to be mindful of what we are sharing online and be what we are agreeing to on these websites. 

Article linked below:

https://www.wired.com/story/minnesota-lawmaker-shootings-people-search-data-brokers/