Blog Post #8 Privacy

 Technology & Privacy 

Where would we be today without technology? Probably a lot more self confident and less anxious. 

In the first video, Juan Enriquez compared Facebook, LinkedIn, credit cards, etc. to tattoos. They are all electronic tattoos. Humans tattoo their bodies to shout a message, so what are these electronic tattoos doing too? They are shouting across the internet. This video was very eye-opening because sometimes we don't realize just how much information these websites and companies have on us. Anytime we make a purchase using our credit card, major companies can track your credit score. This greatly affects each and every one of us because our entire profile is floating around on the internet. We have the ability to look someone up and get everything from social media accounts to criminal records. 

With these electronic tattoos, we will never be able to escape anything. Everything you have ever posted, purchased, and searched can be found. This being said, we are human and humans make mistakes, and in this age, you will never be able to forget that mistake. Enriquez brought up the point of immortality and this should hit home for everyone. These electronic tattoos will live far longer than our physical bodies. When we go to post something, we have to take a second and think, "Do I want this tied to my name for eternity?" 

Not only do we have the ability to find an entire demographic of someone, there is location tracking as well. Catherine Crump turned our attention towards surveillance tracking. Modern technology has made private citizens everyday moves, not so private. The government is able to see if you are driving to a therapists office or an AA meeting. So I began thinking, can companies find this information too? What if people are applying for jobs and information such as this goes into consideration? The government needs to put a limit to this information because as Crump mentioned, the police have pictures of your location when you are just going about your normal day. This makes me question my privacy greatly. We believe that when we are home we are in the privacy and safety of our house, but are we really? As an innocent citizen, all of this information is still collected and stored for "just in case" purposes. Our every move and even our faces, are kept as stored data just in case it is needed in the future. It feels as if our identities are owned by the government, and that is a very unsettling feeling.  

From electronic tattoos to facial recognition and license plate tracking, we are all quite popular within the government. But what is the biggest and most impactful invasion of privacy? Having your own private conversations listened to. It is understandable in police investigations, and in the case that a major criminal needs to be caught. But when it is an innocent citizen who is simply calling their doctor or spouse, why does the government need those conversations? Christopher Soghoian says that governments believe that they should be able to access all communications: emails, phone calls, text messages, etc. Again, it makes sense in the terms of tracking criminals but since we all use the same technology, our calls and information can be tracked just as easily. The way that I think of it, is say an investigator gets bored one day. They can easily access your phone data in most likely a few clicks. Soghoian mentions it, but if our government officials can access information with ease, what's stopping other countries and organizations?

All of these have the same thing in common, privacy doesn't really mean true privacy. In our modern world it is impossible to escape digital footprints. Darieth Chisolm's story is one of the most pressing examples of privacy invasion known to man. Her story made my heart drop and my stomach in knots. I am very thankful that my parents kept social media from me until I was at an age to fully understand it. Many children and teens were exposed too young, and even ended up in situations such as Chisolm. The digital age has been one chock full of negativity such as privacy issues. 

Videos such as these four need to be shared, because these are topics that affect every single person in the United States, as well as the world. The best thing to do is educate yourself and your loved ones, and take the measures necessary to protect your information. Privacy is a key human privilege and we need to remember and honor that.