Blog Post #2: Privacy, Online and Off

                                        

Throughout history, advances in technology have made the lives of humans easier. Strides in technology have brought the world closer and have connected people in a manner that, at one point, was indescribable. For example, with the invention of the airplane, the speed at which one can travel from location to location was immensely improved, but there was also a downside. Countries turned airplanes into weapons of war when equipped with weapons in which a bomb could be dropped and kill mass amounts of people.  We see this repeatedly; technological advances can advance society, and it is terrific until it is not. 

Technology affects the daily life of the average citizen in many ways. For example, one can share information with relatives and friends who live far away. Pictures of essential family milestones can be quickly disseminated to others with a click of a button. At the tip of our fingertips is information to access and share. Connections are to be made and new bonds to be formed, but this also has a negative side. Personal information is not personal and private. Due to user agreements that are incredibly wordy and difficult to understand by the average user, many companies own the rights to any and all information an individual posts via an app or site. 

Governments throughout the world are having difficulty keeping up with ever-changing technology. Currently, the technology industry has the power and ability to make the rules in which users can engage. For example, if an individual disagrees with a portion of the user agreement, the technology company will not grant him or her access to the technology. Furthermore, the laws from country to country vary as to what is or is not permitted when using technology. What may be considered a crime in one country may be perfectly legal in another. It would be recommended that governments throughout the world attempt to create consistent laws. If something is illegal in one country, it should be the same in all. There are international summits on issues such as climate why not technology? Nations can agree with each other when it comes to nuclear energy; can they not do the same for technology?    

As citizens, there are a few steps we can take to protect ourselves from invasions of privacy. First, one needs to keep in mind that our activities via apps and various websites are not private. Once an individual accesses a website, one immediately loses any privacy. Secondly, as digital consumers, we, the users, hold the power. We need to demand more of our government and digital companies. Citizens need to demand better from our government by holding elected officials accountable to protect the average citizen by creating digital regulations and laws to protect individual privacy. As citizens, we also need to demand that from the technology industry. If companies do not protect the citizens, the citizens need to stop using the technology. Companies will pay attention when they start losing money.