Bots, Internet of Things and Threats to Personal Data in the Technological Era

Risks to data security and integrity increase when data is managed through an explosion of mobile applications that connect users to a complex range of services, resources and data in the cloud. Privacy policies that inform about such risks and recommend safe practices under preventive criteria are the first line of defense for a company that manages a website or provides services through a mobile application. The rapid growth of opportunities linked to Big Data has occurred on what many consider a gray area for regulatory purposes, without well-established ethical standards and codes of conduct that are effective for adequately protecting consumers from the abusive use of their personal information by advertisers. Many companies lack good practice guidelines and adequate privacy policies to prevent the disclosure of confidential information. Unfortunately, illicit actors often operate on the same blocks and sets of data as legitimate users, and their annoying or dangerous behavior cannot be criminalized because of a weak or inadequate regulatory framework. This paper analyzes the emerging threats to privacy arising from the widespread use of applications and bots, in a context of growing demand for free cloud services managed through mobile devices.