Loss of Privacy Only Downside to Rise of Personal Tech

Modern technology has not only given us permanent access to an abundance of information, it has also granted us the ability to connect with people on the other side of the planet at the touch of a finger and do many other things that seemed unthinkable a couple of decades ago. While these endless possibilities may seem overwhelming at times, the broad consensus among internet users is that technology has changed almost all aspects of life for the better.

That’s the main finding of a study presented by Microsoft at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. The study titled “Views from Around the Globe: 2nd Annual Poll on How Personal Technology Is Changing Our Lives” is based on a survey among 12,002 internet users in 12 countries that was conducted over the past 12 months. The vast majority of the respondents agrees on the positive impact technology has on both personal and professional aspects of life.

There’s only one big drawback to the rise of personal technology that respondents from almost every country agree on: the loss of privacy that comes with its use. The many ways in which companies can collect information about us and our preferences these days would have been unthinkable a decade ago. And while it may sometimes seem like people don’t care about privacy anymore, it’s good to see that many are at least aware of what their giving up in return for that shiny new smartphone.