As they prepare for the next stages of their lives, members of the Brooklyn College Class of 2018 share their thoughts on some of the more complex and challenging aspects of their areas of study. For more on this year’s commencement, visit our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. Use the #BCGrad2018 hashtag to join the conversation. Moshe “Moe” Farah is a member of the Class of 2018 and will be receiving his bachelor of science in computer science. He is the recipient of the City University of New York (CUNY) Guttman Transfer Scholarship for High-Achieving Community College Graduates, which he received after transferring from Kingsborough Community College. The son of Jewish immigrants, and born and raised in Brooklyn, Farah is the first person in his family to receive a college education. Post-graduation, Farah will be working full-time for JP Morgan Chase & Co. as a software engineer, a position he says was possible because of Brooklyn College alumni connections cultivated by the Magner Career Center. Given his expertise, Farah was asked his thoughts on the current state of information in the digital age and how it impacts the privacy of individual citizens and presents problems with personal and financial safety. “We can all agree that information technology has changed the world. We are indeed living in the digital age. Without a doubt, information technology is doing very positive things, but we must be aware of the concerns of privacy and safety when it comes to our information on the Internet. The ‘privacy paradox’ comes into play here. It occurs when individuals express that they have concerns about their privacy online, but take no action to secure their accounts. Additionally, while individuals may take extra security steps for other online accounts, such as those related to banking or finance, this does not always extend to social media. There are many things we must do to solve these issues. To be a functioning citizen of the digital age, we are constantly opting in to platforms, apps, and services while accepting their terms of service without understanding them. We need to realize that our information has value. On any free platform, we, the users, are the product. Knowing that, we should safeguard our personal information as rigorously as we do any other.”
