Someone's always watching you online...

How do they get my information? Did you know that when you surf the Web, many websites put secret software on your computer? The software collects a large amount of information about you and sends it to Internet companies. The Internet companies sell it to other businesses. Your personal information can also be collected from social media（媒体）sites. There are many ways your information can be used.

What information do they collect and why? First, companies collect your information. The companies find out where you live, what websites you visit, and what you do online. With this information, they can guess other things about you. For example, they can guess if you are male or female, how old you are, and your interests. The companies use this information to decide which advertisements（广告）are best for you. Two people can go to the same website, but they will see different advertisements. For example, someone who likes sports could see an advertisement for sneakers, and someone who like films might see an advertisement for movie.

What do they do with my information? Your personal information could also be sold. Some companies collect information just so they can sell it to other businesses. A business that collects and sells personal information is called a data broker. When data brokers sell your information, a lot of different companies will know your online habits. Then these companies will advertise products or other websites to you.

What online habits are tracked（追踪）? Another way your personal information can be collected is through social media. When your information is on social media, a lot of people can see it. Even if you don't use social media, a friend might post a picture or video of you with your name on it. Pictures and videos can be shared for free on social media, which is one of the great benefits（福利）. However, that same act of sharing could be problem for your own security（安全）. If someone knows too much about you, they can steal your identity（身份）. Then they can buy things online and post messages while pretending（假装）to be you.

Conclusion. All of your online habits can be recorded. Studying people's online habits is big business. Your personal information is very valuable to companies. That is how they know who to send their advertisements to. The Internet reaches almost every corner of the world, but the danger is that your personal information might travel that far, too.

Years ago, if a teenager had some problems in his life, he might write them in his diary. Now he might get on the Internet and write them in his blog(博客), a diary and a blog are almost the same. Then, what makes a blog different from a diary?

The biggest difference is that a blog is much more public than a diary. Anyone can read what you write in your blog. Usually a teenager likes hiding his diary book and treats it as a secret. If you are not satisfied with a friend and write something bad about him in your diary, he will never know it. However, if you do this on the Internet, that friend may read your blog and get angry. So we have to be careful of what we write．

A blog has good points, of course. People choose to write in blogs. They know that their friends will read what they write. If you feel sad one day and write in your diary, no one will know about it. If you write the same words in your blog, your friends may quickly writer back to comfort you and offer their help. Blogs help people know what their friends are doing.

Though it’s a good way to write blogs about everyday life, I still prefer my old diary.

SHANGHAI—After finishing dinner, Liu Xu started a WeChat mini-program called “Clear Plate” on his phone and took a picture of the empty plates. He was then awarded 157 points after the photo was recognized by artificial intelligence (人工智能). “Users of the app can use their points to buy gifts or order charity meals for children in poor areas,” Liu said.

The Shanghai citizen used the mini-program to record himself “clearing the plate.” Liu also joined a group of like-minded people who are in a campaign (活动) called “Clear Your Plate”. The purpose of this campaign is to stop food waste and encourage customers to save food in restaurants. Also, restaurants are encouraged to offer different portion (份) sizes so that customers can have more choices. Up to now, the “Clear Plate” mini-program has become popular among young Chinese and has nearly 1 million users. Similar campaigns like an “Empty Plate Challenge” are also found in many Chinese universities.

“Technological innovation (创新) is a good way to reduce food waste,” said Liu Jichen, founder of the company that developed the app. The idea was shown at a dinner in 2017, when Liu found that a restaurant would give diners who ate up their food a card and offer small gifts after they collected enough cards. “Everyone who doesn’t waste food could enjoy a sense of gain at a lower cost,” Liu said. Such an idea could be realized online, so Liu led his team to work on the project. Now, Liu and his team are working hard to make the AI system smarter.

Through the mini-program, people can clearly see the good results of saving food, which will effectively reduce waste.

“We hope our efforts can start a new way among the young, encouraging them to develop the habit of loving and saving food,” Liu said.