Privacy: Online and Offline
God Isn't the Only One Watching You
Privacy, or should I say the lack thereof, is a huge issue that should be talked about more because of its pervasiveness and its impact on literally everyone. This issue is one of those things where you are more and more shocked the deeper you dive and research. And it is a shame that the individuals perpetuating this intrusive behavior say that this technology is only for enhanced experiences on websites and apps, security, and other reasons that sound good on the surface. But, we all know that when people's intentions are initially good, there is always a perversion of those intentions that become dangerous to those on the other side of the equation. And this perversion of intent is and has become weaponizable toward opposing parties.
The Ted Talks posted by Professor Smith addressed many aspects of this issue. One addressed the digital footprint and how it acts as a "digital tattoo," while another gave insight into the mass surveillance by the government, specifically the local government, with the backing of federal government-affiliated agencies. Another talk discussed surveillance by way of cellular phones with government participation of the United States. This phone tapping of U.S. citizens is not exclusive to the U.S. government. Other countries like the UK and Canada, by way of alliances like "Five Eyes," can listen in and surveil all the calls we make and receive from our family, friends, and coworkers." And in the last Ted Talk, the speaker talks about her personal experience with the dangers of revenge porn and what she likes to call "digital domestic violence."
Although I have not had a close encounter with surveillance personally, I know that it is being done and that it needs to come to an end. These realities affect me because of my belief system because history has proven that this behavior has been done toward Christians and politically and morally conservative individuals. This also affects my family because we are in the same boat regarding viewpoint and moral conviction. The United States government has had a tendency to spy on and mistreat those who are bold about their differing personal opinions and worldviews. And the mass volume of information that they have access to and have retrieved is very alarming. But what is really alarming is what they will do with the information when they feel as if they are provoked and threatened.
The United States government should IMMEDIATELY desist from this intrusive activity. THAT is what they should do. Since they are the ones participating in these acts, there should be people who work for these agencies and companies holding the higher-ups and the greater whole accountable. Although it is a risky move, hopefully with the backing of citizens some change will come about. Also, the government should stop colluding with other private companies like Facebook to engage in this activity. The government needs to have a paradigm shift because the root is that they think they are so high that they can see, control, and have a mass say so in the lives of the citizens. They think it is okay and it is ABSOLUTELY NOT. They should put a harness on the technology so that it can be used positively to enhance the lives of the citizens as they see fit.
We can protect ourselves from invasions of our privacy by first educating ourselves so we know what is happening and whether it is illegal or unconstitutional. So many people get messed over and taken advantage of because of a lack of knowledge. Secondly, we can be mindful and conscious about what we chose to post, display, and say on the internet and social media. We should not give up private and intimate information that can be used as a part of our digital dossier. We can also delete our history frequently and not be as willing to give our location and private information to websites, apps, and even third-party consumers. Although we are not quite sure how to totally prevent this activity, we can take some other preventative measures so that this issue doesn't affect us more strongly than it has to.
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