Writing Task 25 Apr 2018
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Nowadays technology is increasingly being used to monitor what people are saying and doing (for example, through cellphone tracking and security cameras). In many cases, the people being monitored are unaware that this is happening.
Do you think the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
When it comes to technology, most of us will think of its convenience to our life. Incremental innovations in technology have given us breathtaking experiences in our daily lives. However, there are groups of people worrying the negative impact the technology gives us, the loss of our privacy. In my view, I wouldn’t like to be monitored under strange circumstances. I will say, “where there is a convenience, there is no privacy.”
First, thanks to the innovative technology, people’s lives are improving. Taking mobile phones for example, in 2016, an estimated 62.9 percent of the population worldwide already owned a mobile phone. With the navigating applications, people can reach wherever they want to arrive. The social networks enable people to keep in touch with friends they haven’t been met for years. Moreover, multiple tasks can be done by a simple click or even an easy wink. All of these seem impossible in the past.
However, “where there is a convenience, there is no privacy.” Actually, the information provided by the devices we are using is based on that we feed them. By downloading mobile applications, inputting our data and even turning on the tracking function on the mobile phone to play Pokémon GO, we are gradually losing our privacy by leaking our private information to the Internet and mobile device providers. As far as I know, hackers can even stealthily hack into our devices, turning on our cameras, audio recorders without telling the users, not to mention those security cameras installed where we are living. Intentional personage can make use of the videos and audios recorded to undertake illegal tasks. Therefore, we need to do something to prevent it from happening.
All in all, it behoves us to turn off the tracking function and avoid providing too much personal information when using those technologies. We can also call on the government to take actions to prevent the foreseeable problems. There must be a balance between technology and privacy; we will have to be cautious about it! (338 words)
The writing task topic is extracted from The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS for Academic & General Training by Pauline Cullen, Amanda French and Vanessa Jakeman, published by Cambridge University Press.
