Post #7: Online Privacy…or lack there of

  

  Today, our privacy is no longer private. If they have the necessary tools, almost anybody can access any information on anyone, from anywhere. In class we were instructed to watch a couple Ted Talks on online privacy or the lack there of. These videos were really eye-opening and surely caused me to pause and ponder. One of the most important conclusions I got from seeing the videos was that everything you put on the internet never truly goes away. The analogy that really resonated with me was the one talked about in the first TEDTalk about internet knowledge being like a tattoo that stays on your body forever. Something is never truly gone once it has been uploaded. Even if you "remove" it, all of this data is saved indefinitely. 

    Another element that contributes to a lack of privacy I was unaware of was the existence of the automatic license plate scanner. I learned about this from another TEDTalk, these license plate scanners can be found almost anywhere and are  constantly keeping track of you and your whereabouts. These cameras are visible at intersections to record who runs red lights, but they may also be mounted on the sides of police cars, which I was not aware of. These cameras photograph just about everyone's license plates, which are then registered in a computer. The police station, as well as the government, can simply obtain this information. They may learn a lot about a person just by looking at where they travel on a regular basis. I believe the government should not be so intrusive in people's personal lives and privacy. I believe they, along with other corporations, should have additional laws and regulations in place to manage the information they have access to. To protect ourselves against this, we should limit the quantity of personally identifiable information we provide with businesses.

     Another TEDTalk had a speaker who discussed a child's toy, a doll named Cayla. Although this doll may be connected to an app to engage with youngsters as marketed, the terms and conditions state that the doll can listen to and distribute recordings of conversations that occur in people's homes. I don't know what will terrify you more than that. It's frightening to know that someone may be eavesdropping in on you in your own house at any time. Today, I believe that privacy is a big concern. With everything going on politically in the globe, I believe we need security of our personal information now more than ever. To safeguard ourselves against this, we need to  limit the quantity of personal information we provide with businesses and online. Even if it's something as basic as registering a gmail account, we need to be cautious about how much personal details we provide online.