Privacy: online & off

 

There is a growing issue that is unfolding before the worlds eyes that is going unnoticed for many, including myself until today. This issue is online privacy, whether you are online or offline, there is a growing issue of one's personal privacy. Having taken the time to delve into the topic of privacy in regards to ones technological/online presence, has been an astonishing as there is a sever violation to the public's privacy.

After having watched various TED talk speakers convey relevant issues on the matter of online privacy I have 3 key concerns. The first concern lies in the ability of one's online presence to be permanent even if one thinks it is deleted, as there is always a way to access one's online presence. Juan Enriquez was one of the speakers, who describes himself as a "business leader" and "technologist", and touches upon the life span of one's online presence. Enriquez argues that one's online reputation is like a tattoo, as it is permanent and speaks for itself. One should be wary that their online presence is "immortal", and will leave its mark forever, in which everyone should be highly cognizant of what they share. 

My second greatest concern is NSA mass surveillance continuing to grow in ways that track down more and more personal details about individuals across the nation. Civil liberties lawyer, Catherine Crump gives insight into this issue illustrating all the ways we are being watched such as our license plates used to track our every whereabout. In addition, Police are tracking mass quantities of all American's data such where we are going and who with, even details about ourselves at our own homes. It is frightening to think that this is already occurring and devices are continuing to be created to track more of our personal information. Lastly, the third occurrence that has left me feeling uneasy is the fact that our phones and phone carrier's were built to act as a surveillance system, in which at any given moment someone could be listening. 

Although there are various issues arising in regard to our online privacy, there are actions we can take to combat these problems. Christopher Soghoian makes various recommendations within his TED talk including using an iPhone to send a text message,  using face time to make a call, and utilizing WhatsApp. Inscription is also used to go against online privacy violations. There are manners to go about this issue and a key component is mindfulness.