Should we give up on our privacy if the benefits of doing it trump the consequences of such action?

Question

from "The Ethics of Online Privacy with Andy Cullison" podcast

Comments

How does one decide whether the benefits trump the consequences? (Can you give a specific example?)

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For instance, personally I found a lot of advertisements on social media really helpful. Although it is sometimes a bit creepy that they know exactly what I’m looking for, I still think it’s very convenient and it saves me a lot of time researching for the right product. It also helps small businesses advertise efficiently. So in my opinion, I feel it’s okay to give them access to all my social media interactions, website cookies etc in exchange for the convenience they bring.

Answer 1

It's either or for me. If you want to have things more convenient for you then you need to accept giving up your privacy and vice versa. I don't think that the big companies will do anything to limit their data collecting ability. They can be more shady and hide their data collecting though.