Privacy

 In class today, we watched several Ted Talk videos over the extent that our privacy is currently being violated in this day and age, often in ways we do not realize. For the most part, most of our entire lives are able to be found online: with a simple google search of a name, you can easily find out someone's address, where they've attended school, and even social security in some occasions. Fundamentally, privacy is the ability of individuals to manage their personal data and choose how it is gathered, utilized, and shared. However, this concept of privacy has been severely tested and, in many cases, undermined in today's technologically evolved world. 

There's essentially a power struggle between the desire for reasonable expectation of privacy and the desire to keep our modern pleasures of technology. The videos made it extremely clear through a variety of examples, that in these times that is just simply not a viable possibility. 

Every click, search term, and online transaction we make creates a digital trail that is monitored under the guise of national security and archived by a number of companies, such as government offices, social media companies, and internet service providers. Even if someone thinks they've deleted their search history, and it's therefore erased, nothing that you do online will ever be permanently erased. Ever. Which is horrifying if you've ever been a 14 year old on the internet, not thinking that statement is actually true.

 

In my opinion, that is entirely where the issues lies- the permanence of the data and our digital footprints. Due to the permanent nature of digital material, which, once shared or posted online, frequently stays accessible for an indeterminate period of time despite efforts to erase or delete it. Take the Ted Talk regarding revenge porn for example. Because we have so little control over our digital footprint and are consistently vulnerable to hacking or monitoring, companies or individuals readily exploit or weaponize sensitive material, including private chats or intimate images. The fundamental parts about the concept of privacy are undermined, and for the most part, companies are completely allowed to do so because we agree to terms and conditions. Images and messaging believed to be erased, or had been taken years prior are still susceptible the second somebody hacks you. People are more susceptible to exploitation, harassment, and identity theft as a result of this loss of privacy, as seen by the start of things like revenge porn.

To sum up, while the deterioration of privacy in the digital era presents significant obstacles to people's freedom, worth, and basic rights, it's something that should be somewhat accepted in my opinion. However, I still agree with the concept of securing our right to privacy and maintain the accuracy of our personal data, we must fight for strong privacy laws, openness, and accountability practices as technology inevitably advances. We can only expect to regain control over our digital identities and defend the concepts of privacy in the digital era via well-informed personal decision-making.