Blog Post #2: Privacy Online & Off

The videos watched all addressed the prevalent concern of the invasion of privacy among the average person. This issue affects myself, my friends, and family because this invasion of privacy occurs everywhere to everyone by leaking sensitive personal information. This can be in the form of social media selling trends from your likes and viewed posts to marketing companies who will then send you targeted ads or illegally used surveillance equipment that will gather and collect personal data on individuals.

This data is gathered  through facial recognitions, smart home devices, license scanners, etc. which can track individual locations and personal connections. Even seemingly harmless toys can prove a threat to personal privacy as dolls and in-home devices have been proved to record conversations. All these actions occur under false premises in which individuals don’t know what they are agreeing to, and often can do very little to protect themselves.

Due to this it should fall under the government’s responsibility to enforce privacy laws and put stricter regulations on these types of surveillance techniques. As technology changes, the government should modify amendments and pass new laws to protect individuals by not allowing government and private sectors to obtain nor keep on record any surveillance of individuals who are not an immediate threat to society and only then when approved with a court order. Moreover, they should require/regulate private companies by making them have to clearly label what data is collected from their sites/shops, what the data is used for, by whom, and where this information is stored. The government should also mandate surveillance areas be clearly labeled.

As for individuals, while they await government action  they should take matters in their own hands with precautions to protect themselves. Individuals  should thoroughly read all terms and conditions, be wary of what they like, post, and share on social media, and always be aware of their surroundings and scanning for what can be surveillance traps. In today's age, every action is like a tattoo, permanently leaving behind some trace that can be used to make assumptions about a person. One must ensure the tattoo they are getting is one they are okay with being with them for life.