Blog #8: Privacy

    In watching these videos, many concerns for my own privacy were raised. These videos discussed many privacy issues that directly affect me and the people around me. 

    One of the concepts one of the speakers talks about is our "electronic tattoos." The speaker is saying that our online presence has the equivalence of getting a tattoo on your body. It is permanent. I found this topic extremely relevant and interesting. Our social media and online presence is permanent and everlasting. We create electronic tattoos with our lack of privacy. 

    One feature that has been introduced in recent years in facial recognition. We use facial recognition to log into our phone, online accounts, and much more. As technology gains access to our facial recognition it can be used in so many different ways. 

    An example shown in the video is if you take a picture of someone out in public, by using facial recognition features you have access to personal information. With just someone's face alone you can gain access to social media accounts, bank information, criminal records, etc. This is an extremely scary thought for people, such as myself, since I have my face posted in very public ways. It is posted all over various social media sites and the internet. The thought of someone being able to use my picture to find out personal information about me does not seem right to me. 

     

      The government should be controlling how accessible personal information is. There should be more laws in place protecting our privacy. In one of the videos, the speaker discusses how her privacy was violated in the use of revenge porn. Nonconsensual images of her body were used and posted online without her permission. These public images affected her work, social, and personal life, yet there was nothing the government could do about it. Darieth continued her fight and became the first winning international case against revenge porn.   

    We can personally protect our own privacy by limiting what we post. We need to be cautious of how we use the internet and social media. People should not give out personal information so freely to people or the internet. This information can be used against you to find out everything about your identity.

    Privacy is a big issue in our world today and be more addressed and taken more seriously. People need to do what they can to protect their own privacy in order protect themselves and their own identity.