Blog #8: Privacy, Online and Off

 Almost everyday our privacy is being violated form the technology we use. Whether you are simply adding your information into a new app or using google maps to navigate yourself somewhere, our phones are tracking us and sending out our personal information. For many people simple things like this on our phone is second nature. Putting your birthday into your Snapchat account so all your friends will be notified the day of is something so casual for us. 

What most people don't know is how their technology and their favorite apps are violating their privacy everyday. In a TedTalk by Juan Enriquez he talks about something called a electronic tattoo. Enriquez says that an electric tattoo is created from all the different technology and apps we use and that these electronic tattoos reveal more about you than a real tattoo ever would. 

Facial recognition is something that our iPhones have recently developed in the last few years. This started out as a way to unlock you phone faster but it is now a way to identify anyone and all their records in seconds if they have added their face to their iPhone. 

While researching this topic online I began to think abut my own privacy and the privacy of my family. All of my family has an iPhone and all of us are on social media. This means that our private information like addresses.

In another TedTalk by Christopher Soghoian he talks about surveillance and privacy through our cell phones. Soghoian says that while making a casual phone call anyone can break into the surgery and listen to your call. These haters could be part of our own government or foreign governments. The idea of wire tapping has recently come public, this means companies can wire tap their programs to ensure that no one can listen to your calls our read you're texts. 

Our government should be protecting us from this innovation of privacy. Everyone should have the right to use their personal technology without the risk of their information being leaked. Social media and technology is going to continue to grow and companies first priority should be protecting their customers. 

After doing this research
in the future I plan to be more cautious of my information. It has proved not to be safe to just enter information like our names, emails and birthdays into apps. With the advances being made in technology everyday that means the hackers have more ability to see our information. With this knowledge I plan to be more cautious of the apps and technology I use.