Blog Post #8

Privacy Online & Off

After viewing the 6 Ted Talks regarding privacy, I am freaked out, but not shocked. Since our whole lives are on the internet, it is not surprising that the government would find ways to use it against us. Electronic tattoos, surveillance equipment, wiretapping, cyber harassment, email, and even children's toys are all ways in which technology can abuse our basic rights.

Electronic Tattoos

In Juan Enriquez' Ted Talk, he explains how like a regular tattoo, electronic tattoos can tell a lot about a person. With facial recognition technology advancing, it is almost too easy to find a name and their record. Face.com was sold to Facebook, with over 18 billion faces being revealed. This is alarming as Facebook can easily understand your interests, and link specific advertising. 

Surveillance Equipment

In Catherine Crump's Ted Talk, she explains how surveillance equipment enables police departments to gather sensitive information about individuals. Normal GPS tracking can reveal this without your knowledge. Another tactic is through automatic license plate readers. Police departments are using license plates to see where you have gone, who you're with, etc. This is a brutal reminder that just because you cannot physically see something, that doesn't mean it's not there. 

Wiretapping 

In Christopher Soghoian's Ted Talk, he explains the advancement of wiretapping. Each phone has been wired for surveillance making it easy for anyone to listen in. He educates on resources we can use that aren't as easy to wiretap. This includes iPhone text message, FaceTime, and WhatsApp. However, these surveillance features come at a cost since good people use the same technology as criminals. No one knows if these features will be used to the benefit of you, or the disadvantage of you. Therefore, we must be at least aware. 

Cyber Harassment 

In Darieth Chisolm's Ted Talk, she explains the real effects of cyber harassment and digital domestic violence. The consequences for displaying explicit content without a person's consent, is as low as a $500 misdemeanor fine. This is while women's careers are being held at risk. The DMCA is responsible for protecting both copyright of owners/consumers. However, there is still a lot of work to be done regarding this huge issue.

Email

Andy Yen explains in his Ted Talk how our data will eventually outlive us, since we don't know what the idea of privacy is anymore. He uses email as a primary example. A possible solution is encrypting your email. However, it's not that simple since the government can ask for encryption keys at any time. Since advertising is a huge money-maker for huge companies, people are hesitant to fix these issues. The bottom line is that advertising is an invasion of privacy that companies are using against us. That is why we must get educated in order to make privacy accessible again. Individuals can support different business models that won't take advantage of their privacy. This simple step will ultimately create a whole new internet that a new generation can use.

Kids' Toys

Finn Myrstad explains how devices as innocent as a kids' toy or vacuum invade privacy. The banned toy, "My friend Cayla," connected to a bluetooth device and was able to communicate with children. However, she could also listen in on the entire household behind closed doors. Finn brought up a good point: "What is the point in having a home with a key if any connected device can come inside?" It is almost too easy for invaders to come inside the safety of a person's home through technology. 

I feel as though these videos were a harsh reminder of how powerful technology really is. These issues affect everyone, whether we'd like to admit it or not. The government should be enforcing better regulations to protect the people. For example, the talking Cayla doll was not banned until almost a year. Who knows who was on the other end of the line talking to thousands of children? We must do our part by not skipping over boxes of terms/conditions for various apps. Additionally, using safer forms of communication such as FaceTime, iMessage, WhatsApp, can possibly protect us from wiretapping. In conclusion, I fully agree with Finn's statement, "Technology can only benefit society if it respects basic rights."