Taking Control of our Privacy

When most people think of technology and how it's developed in recent years, they think of the incredible benifits it has brought to society. However, I believe it is just as important for people to understand the downsides that many of these technologies have created, specifically the invasion of privacy. Robert O Harrow, author of "No Place to Hide" and prominant writer for the Washington Post, Skyped my class a few days ago. Having spent the last twenty years researching how new technologies have destroyed our sense of privacy that existed before the technological boom, he strongly encouraged us to be aware of the ways new technology formats have allowed for our invasion of privacy on a whole new level.

The fact that many of us are not aware of the ways companies, the government and other agendas use new technologies as a ways of gathering information about our lives that intrudes our privacy makes is disturbing. Though I don't see a problem when one willingly chooses to express private issues on sites like facebook, I am deeply concerned when ones privacy is intruded upon without any warning.

A perfect example of this is can be seen through the use of an EZ pass. Millions of Americans have bought an EZ pass in order to cruise by others through toll stations on highways. What they don't know is that everytime the light flashes green and allows them to pass, a record is kept of the exact date and time they went through that toll, creating a digital record of where they have travaelled. Finally, this driving record can be retrieved and used in court! Though in some cases this record can be benificial, I'm willing to bet that most EZpass users would be shocked to learn of this, and many would reconsider their decision to use the pass altogether.

Image by DavidErickson via Flickr

Critics argue the reason why people are unaware of this "invasion of privacy" is because of ignorance. I argue that this is precisely why companies should not be allowed to exploit inexperienced users of new technology. Ignorance of the consumer does not in any way justify the exploitation of ones privacy; therefore, companies must be required to clearly lay out what data is being kept and whom it is being shared with until people become more accustomed to how technologies effect ones privacy. However, because it is highly unlikely for companies to inform the public of its questionable practices, especially with no laws in place regulating them, I suggest that those who are aware of the way technologies invade our pricacy make it a priority to inform friends and family of this as well. With the "benifit" of the ever growing web of communication facilitated by the Internet, informing others of this shouldn't be that difficult.