There is a common belief that technology has been instrumental to the loss of privacy and security. Although biometrics and anti-virus programs shield individuals from invasions of personal information, cyber crimes and social networking may threaten these zones of privacy. We may ask, however, to what extent does protecting the very security, we Americans cherish, diminish individual privacy?
Anti-spyware and anti-virus programs are godsends to many Internet users. They block viruses from disrupting hardwares, prevent hackers from stealing private identities, and scan for any current threats. Anti-phishing softwares and encryption keys protect passwords from being stolen. In Cory Doctrow's Little Brother, Marcus Yallow used IMParanoid messaging, $SYS$Firefox, and TOR to make himself an "invisible man". The novel also describes real-life measures typically used to prevent people from accessing restricted areas. Fingerprint and voice recognition are biometric measures that enhance one's privacy. Its is very difficult to infringe on identities unique to one person. Throughout Little Brother, however, technology was abused by DHS agents and strict schools to the point of denying Marcus' implied rights to privacy for the sake of national security. Gait-cams kept track of "who's where and when". Thus, technology has severe limitations on protecting individual privacy (especially when in conflict with the question of national security).
As innovative technologies continue to emerge, our society has evolved to accommodate these changes. Almost anyone can track your daily activities via Facebook and Twitter, making you more vulnerable to cyber attacks/ hacks. Facebook encourages the sharing of private information on a personal profile or homepage. In the past, default settings created maximum exposure of the user's information onto the social networking website. From public internet users to identity theives, have gained new media in which victim's identity and personal information are stolen: “Internet mobbing” and “phishing”. Recently, a form of Internet witch hunt is becoming prevalent in South East Asian countries, where social norms are strict yet perceived as
under threat. The online human search involves multiple people using e-mails, blogs, YouTube to track down personal information (even the whereabout) of someone percieved as a social miscreant. In 2008, thousands of Chinese web surfers and chat rooms launched an online manhunt for the father of Guo Wenjun, an Olympic gold medalist, who reportedly abandoned his daughter. A South Korean woman quickly became the center of online harassment and death threats after a subway commuter posted a picture of her refusing to clean up after her dog. Internet mobbing has created punishments that are vastly out of proportion with the original transgressions; identities and personal details have been posted for all to see, making victims
vulnerable to fraud and identity theft. Phishing scams, used by cyber criminals, also threaten an individual's financial privacy. These identity theives send e-mails containing viruses or questions asking for Social Security and credit card numbers. By infiltrating the IRS online systems, some cyber criminals hijack tax payers' identities and redirect thousands of dollars in anticipated refunds.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18080418/ns/nbcnightlynews-nbc_news_investigates/t/identity-thieves-tap-lucrative-tax-fraud/
http://www.mindmeister.com/fr/51893479/to-what-extent-has-technology-had-an-impact-on-both-privacy-and-security-in-your-countryj
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=international-report-technology
I would agree with Lauren when she says that in general, technology has largely had a negative impact on privacy. Even though technology can do amazing things that weren't possible even five years ago, I feel that it is quickly getting out of hand and its creators are trying to make technological leaps that aren't necessary and are, in fact, dangerous to the freedom and privacy of the general public. For every anti-virus test or scan created, there are likely many more new viruses or hacks. These, coupled with the blows to privacy that sites like Facebook and Google deal out, make the everyday person extremely susceptible to losing money, reputation, jobs, or privacy.
ReplyDeleteIn Little Brother, technologies like tracking BART train travel patterns and even going through gaming sites to organize 'terrorist' activities show that technology can get extremely out of hand. All kinds of government surveillance show up in the book, like the video cameras in every room at Marcus' high school to the ability to take in massive amounts of data like everyone's internet usage statistics to highlight any 'abnormalities.' These efforts are obvious hugely conflicting with privacy rights, and this is what Marcus struggles to fight back against, feeling that he is a prisoner in his own school, city, and country.
This article here (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/positive-effects-of-technology-on-society.html) lists many of the positive contributions technology has made to society, but for most of the points on the list, there are examples of how this has limited someone's privacy. Changed modes of transport? Yes, the high-speed and high-power planes and jets that exist today are great for warfare or light travel, but everyone is aware of the wealth of privacy setbacks that has arisen in the past few years, from full body scans to being detained for having a common name that is on the no-fly list. Data management and information retrieval? Of course this is extremely useful for businesses, students, and anyone who just wants to go onto the Internet to check up the address of a restaurant or what the capital of a foreign country is, but this has lead to tons of other problems such as identity theft, accidentally posting private information that the public can access, and even the tracking of what anyone searches on a website like Google.
This recent article from MetroNews (http://metronews.ca/health/222733/to-microchip-kids-or-not-that-is-the-question/) barely delves into the thorny issue of microchipping children from birth, but it brings up many debatable points. Lots of people get antsy as soon as they hear any mention of microchips or GPS tracking, saying that those are huge infringements on someone's privacy. However, given the number of cases that come up every year about kidnapped or lost children, having microchips implanted in them would be extremely useful. Still, who would be able to track them? More than just the parents, undoubtedly. I have the feeling that lots of people wouldn't be so excited about having the government literally knowing where they or their child was every second of every day.
These are the kind of sensational ideas that arise daily in the world of technology; what seems like a worthwhile improvement could be a security disaster and could severely limit freedoms. I believe that technology, while great for many reasons, can be used to limit privacy much easier than it can be used to increase privacy.
I do agree somewhat with Julia and Lauren that technology has had a negative influence on society but I also think that technology has done so much to improve the world as well. I do think that many social networking sites and sites like Google do offer threats to society. As seen in the novel "Little Brother" technologies such as 'fast-track" passes for the Bart Station and the gait cameras are examples of how technology is moving too fast for the world. However, the ability that Marcus has to rally so many people for his cause is incredible to me and I think it shows a very positive influence of technology. Technology can also have a positive influence in terms of education. According to this website (http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/tiol.html) technology can further enrich education in ways that no one thought was even possible and can further advance achievement in education. I believe that this has much more of a significant influence on society than social networking sites. Also according to the Fourth Amendment, the American people are given the right to privacy and I think contrary to Little Brother that the government would have a very hard time trying to regulate one's privacy on the web. I think that technology has much more positive influences on society than negative influences. Other websites such as: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/positive-effects-of-technology-on-society.html, highlight the positive contributions that technology has had on today's society. Overall, I believe that technology can have both negative and positive influences on society. I believe that technology will have and has had a much more positive influence on technology than a negative one. I think that it has great potential to influence world in incredible ways and while privacy may be issue for many, I think you have more control over your privacy than the government or the social networking sites do.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lauren and Julia G., but I also can see what Julia M. said. However, I feel as though the positives out-weigh the negatives of technology. Without technology, we wouldn't have access to many of the resources that we do today. Yet, these resources aren't always used for "good." People can use technology to do more harm than good in certain situations, but when it comes to areas like medicine and education (within the classroom) technolgoy can be wonderful.
ReplyDelete(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090128092341.htm) This website demonstrates a poor use of technology within education. Students use it to get out of doing the work and therefore do not neccessarily benefit from it.
What it comes down to is how technology is used. Hackers would be an example of a poor use of technology. In Little Brother, Marcus uses technology to benefit himself, and he doesn't fully think about the consequences. When it comes to arphids and blocking them, Marcus designs a tool that will "block" them or confuse the trackers with another person. Yet, another form of "hacking" is when a person is actually able to hack into a persons personal computer and not only look at, but steal their documents. This is a major problem, especially with the emergence of websites such as Facebook and Twitter. Privacy is hardly an option for the younger generations of today's society. While these websites offer control over certain settings, it is hard to have complete and total control over what the public is viewing on your profile.
(http://www.buzzle.com/articles/positive-effects-of-technology-on-society.html) This article acknowledges the positive effects that technology can have on society. Technology surrounds us and with the emergence of the smart phone, and other devices, it is hard to break away from technology. People expect to become in immediate contact with you because of technology, which offers little privacy.
While technology is rather invasive, overall there are multiple benefits that technology offers. The positive effects of technology clearly outweigh the negative effects.