By Rob Martens
This article originally appeared in an April edition of the Inside Indiana Business newsletter.
There were many aspects of life that slowed down or came to screeching halt during the pandemic, but technology certainly wasn’t one of them. In fact, the pandemic accelerated both technology advancements and adoption.
With tech being quite literally the only way the world could connect with anyone outside of their household, even the most tech-phobic became intimately familiar with a variety of collaboration tools for work, socializing, entertainment, e-commerce, daily needs like grocery and food delivery, and even health care. Simultaneously, companies had to quickly adapt to unprecedented consumer demand in a hyper stressful environment and pivot their marketing to demographics they may not have previously considered a sweet spot; tech adoption was particularly accelerated amongst populations that have historically not fully leveraged tech.
While this bump in adoption is exciting for both consumers and developers, we must not forget to balance convenience with security and privacy. It can be easy, particularly in stressful times when tech is one of our only connections to our loved ones and community, to become a less-than-informed consumer.
For those who are less familiar with information-based tools and products, remember to be a smart consumer of tech-enabled convenience.
1. If the service or tool is free, you are the product.
Understand your exposure. How is your data being used, shared, and potentially sold? For some, the convenience of utilizing a service is worth sharing some data, and for others it is not. Be sure to understand what information you are comfortable sharing.
2. Watch out for hidden fees.
Many connected devices, convenience apps (like food and meal delivery) and entertainment apps require subscriptions (often after a free trial period), so understand your total cost of usage and/or ownership before purchase.
3. Keep your guard up when it comes to work-from-home-related privacy.
