Privacy in the Information Era

The Ted Talk videos discussed numerous concerns that we face today within the internet and social media including: data privacy and manipulation, surveillance and increased government access, hacking and online harassment. 

The lack of privacy in this modern era goes unnoticed and is not considered a pressing issue to many. We usually don’t question our lack of privacy until our privacy has been violated, but we should not wait until our privacy has been violated to protect it. Understanding that we all consistently sign to contracts with companies, allowing them access to our data. There should be more regulations around how that data is both stored and used. While surveillance, facial recognition and data tracking should be regulated, I also understand the importance of having access to this data to protect citizens from harm. There should be stronger legislation surrounding consumer’s privacy rights and the government should develop a secure network to confidentially store and protect our data, regulate the process of accessing our data when needed, and protect our data from unauthorized access. While surveillance, facial recognition and data tracking should be regulated, we also understand the importance of having access to this data to protect citizens from harm. 

In order to protect ourselves from digital privacy invasions, it starts with us. The negative aspects of technology should be discussed more often so that we apply safeguards to our daily lives. Some of these safeguards may include time regulation and simply keeping private things private. Because the internet has become such a large space for interaction, many people believe their words (or posts) would become lost among the plethora of information available, but the analogy of the digital tattoo disproves this. We should also beware of overconsumption and how it may begin to affect our physical and mental health in the real world. Overall, although privacy should be the default, our advanced technology makes sure that there is no privacy. Because of this we must find ways to regulate unauthorized and invasive information sharing while taking caution with what we post.