Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/975483
maltatoday Careers Cambridge Analytica's use of private information during the US presidential election has brought the issues surrounding privacy and security on the internet into sharp focus. Since the creation of the World Wide Web in 1989, the internet has been a relatively open environment, providing a platform to source information and connect in a way never previously possible. However, the freedom of the internet has not come without its dark side. While there are very few people who would advocate tighter regulations on the internet, the concern over privacy and security is a growing one. Fortunately, blockchain technology promises to reconcile this, meeting our desire for privacy while allowing us to hold onto the freedom we've come to expect and enjoy when surfing the web. As a globally distributed ledger, blockchain technology combines sophisticated cryptography and coding to create a decentralised, peer-to-peer database that is capable of recording anything of value immutably. This combination of clever technology and coding means blockchain is almost impossible to hack without quantum computing. One potential beneficiary of this development is the recruitment industry. Each day thousands of candidates send their personal data to recruiters, potential employers and jobsites via the internet in the hope of landing a new job. The amount of personal data shared about candidates during each stage of the recruitment process is significant. While the vast majority of recruiters and employers have suitable, secure privacy policies and cybersecurity practices in place, there is still a risk that servers can be hacked and websites subjected to attacks. As well as the risk of a cyberattack, there is also the matter of recruiters and potential employers storing candidates' personal details on their servers – in some cases, indefinitely. Although the public has been slow to understand the value of personal data, the coming years will see candidates wanting to take back control over who has access to their data and for how long.