Blog Post #5

 Online Privacy

    Learning about the lack of privacy we have online is quite honestly terrifying. This idea of "electronic tattoos" gave me a new perspective on the permanency of everything I do online. Not only is it permanent, but it becomes the way people see you. Your actions online now become a representation of you. No matter how long ago or any changes you go through, your online actions still represent what people think of you. As someone who grew up when social media was first becoming popular, I was exposed to it at a young age and began my own social media accounts when I was 13. From the age of 13 to now, I am a completely different person with a completely different view of life. My parents have always taught me it is important to be conscious of my actions online because they understand how permanent they are. While I think that there is not anything that could do serious damage, I certainly would not post or say some of the things that I once did. I find myself looking back and regretting old posts or even regretting the texts I sent. It is scary to think that my actions years ago can impact my future career. I personally have had friends who got in trouble with their school or even law enforcement for things they did or said online. Not only that, I have seen friends not get jobs because of their social media. My boss this summer told me that someone's social media can absolutely influence which candidate gets the job. That has stuck with me ever since and everyday I try to be conscious about what I post. 

    The second video truly highlighted how much we are monitored. Once again, assumptions and personas are given to us by outsiders based off of where we drive or where we are. I do not personally believe that the government has the right to monitor each citizen this closely. The use of advanced surveillance techniques on citizens who have not proved to need to be watched is an invasion of privacy. However, I find this to be less concerning than the permanency of our online data. With all of the current safety issues in society, it is important to be able to track people or get footage of an event, but, the average daily life of citizens should not be used to make generalizations about someone. The fact that most people, including myself don't know that their data is being gathered to this extent is something I feel needs to change. I believe the government and even other organization need to be more transparent about the data they gather. This surveillance technology has become too invasive and weaponized in a way. It is like they are jut waiting to catch someone committing a crime, they are not using this technology in a way that benefits society. The government must start acting for the betterment of society, not for their own goals. 

    The third video followed very closely with the ideas I just previously discussed. The government being upset by the fact that they cannot automatically access our data is an incredibly clear violation of our democracy. Cellphone companies taking matters into their own hands is something people need to know. A conversation had with a friend does not need to be heard by the government. Ensuring the use of encryption technology is something that I will absolutely be mindful of to protect myself and my privacy. When wire tap technology was first used, it felt similar to other tracking technology in the way that the government is trying to catch something before it occurs. They are surveying based off of no probable cause but they can claim it is beneficial when they do catch something. I do not believe that is fair, in my mind it is similar to the idea of prior restraint. While obviously not directly the same, the government is monitoring people before they have proved they have done something wrong. Securing my phone calls needs to become a priority in my life. I plan to do more research on how to do this and implement these techniques. The last video shared more in depth about the lack of support from the government when you are wronged on the internet or data is stolen. In order to progress as an online society, the government must begin to protect out rights online. However, this change has to be started by the people. Advocacy for the dangers of our online data being so readily available must happen.