Comment 21

Have you ever felt as if you were being watched? Well, the fact is that we are being watched all the time. Nowadays, because of new technologies, there are cameras everywhere: supermarkets, shops and even on our own mobile phone. According to statistics we are recorded without knowing it at least 1000 times in our life and that has advantages, but disadvantages too.

On the one hand, cameras and microphones are very good. They help us save special moments and remember things. Moreover, security cameras are really important because they improve security in stores. They are not only important for the consumers, but also for the sellers. In the past, in places like petrol stations or shops that open until very late, working as a cashier was very dangerous. At present, thanks to the security cameras, robberies and vandalism have decreased. In addition, many people have security cameras in their own homes for the same reason. If you have cameras in your home, even though you may sometimes feel watched, you will probably feel much safer and sleep more peacefully.

On the other hand, having cameras recording us all the time is dangerous. Without us knowing it and without your permission, a camera could be recording us. Furthermore, many times through our own mobile phone or computer someone could be spying on us and that is very serious. To prevent this, we have to be very careful with the applications we download because if you download an App like Whatsapp, Twitter or Instagram and you allow that App to access your camera and your microphone, at any time someone can see what your camera is recording while you are using that App. Listening to phone calls, discovering passwords, and taking pictures of yourself without your permission these are some of the things hackers can do. In addition, there are more and more problems of this kind nowadays caused by misinformation or ignorance about all these dangers. 

To sum up, security cameras are good only if we're conscious that we're being recorded. Besides, talking about mobile phones, laptops and tablets we should be careful because someone may have hacked your system without your permission. Some recommendations to avoid being spied on on your computer are to cover the camera with some tape and read all the information before downloading an application. In my opinion, this is a very serious issue and everyone should be informed. A good idea could be to give talks in schools so that young people, who are the ones who most often have this kind of problem, are well informed.