Technological Advances Threaten Privacy
The year is 2004. By now, our technology is so advanced that we’ve built robots to do common daily tasks for us. To many people, all of this technology seems like a dream come true. What they don’t realize is that the magnitude of complex technology can go the other way as well. The Internet is a cyber jungle filled with a lot of hunters, and even more prey. Just by hooking ourselves in with all of this new technology we have threatened our privacy. With the click of a mouse, almost anyone can gain access to personal information for just about anyone. While technology causes serious threats to privacy, there are several ways to help prevent against these threats.
At the top of the list though
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Additionally, the “Verichip,” an RFID embedded under the skin to convey health information, will benefit the medical field especially in emergency, and is now approved by the FDA (Dipert 54). Those subjected to this technology cannot control personal information stored, whether in corporate, medical, or government databases. Regardless of some of the benefits of RFIDs, legislation will need to advance along with this technology in turn to protect citizens from invasion of their privacy rights.
Technology has threatened privacy by allowing one to use the web to find personal information of others. This leads to identity theft, or using one's personal information as if it belonged to you. The most “popular” form of identity theft is credit card fraud. According to USA Today, the monetary lost for the year 2003 has been a total of $17.1 million, which was a tremendous increase from 1999, whose total was $3.2 million. In 2003 the number of fraud reports was 37.2 thousand. On December 4, 2003, President Bush planned to put a stop to the increasing statistics by signing the Fair and Accurate Transaction Act. The Identity Theft Protection Information and Resource Center states, “There is no fool proof way to protect yourself from identity theft.” They also give more information on keeping valuables safe when not in use, keeping bank account and Social Security numbers confidential, and checking credit reports at least once a year.
Camera phones, though a recent
While interpreting Should We Ditch the Idea of Privacy? by Don Tapscott, I had found that this article was my favorite. When it comes to choosing is one should stay private or keep their information public, I feel like that is up to that individual one hundred percent. In Should We Ditch the Idea of Privacy? Tapscott went over how many people should be more open and post more information on the internet to allow others to get a sense of what is going on. He believed Facebook is a “leading social-media site that promotes information sharing” making everyone’s life an open book for everyone to read and learn from. Additionally, to help is one is struggling with any mental health issues. Tapscott believes that by sharing personal information can
In the novel 1984, George Orwell uses imagery and word choice to demonstrate how much people value their privacy. This is proven when the citizens learn that the Police Patrol and the government are spying on them in their homes without them knowing. George Orwell states that he knows there is someone snooping in his windows all the time. Night or day, it does not matter. He knows for a fact they are watching his every move. This goes to show that the Police Patrol and government have no boundaries and do not respect their citizens privacy in any way. They are trying to catch them doing anything they are not supposed to be doing. Everybody should feel safe when they are in their home. No one wants to always feel like someone is constantly
Identity theft is a significant problem to both citizens and financial institutions. The FTC estimates that over 27.3 million Americans have been the victims of identity theft in the past five years. The
The right to privacy means controlling your own personal information and the ability to allow or deny access to others. As Americans, we feel it's a right not a privilege to have privacy. IT technology and the events of September 11, 2001 are diminishing that right, whether its workplace privacy or personal privacy. From sending email, applying for a job, or even using the telephone, Americans right to privacy is in danger. Personal and professional information is being stored, link, transferred, shared, and even sold without your permission or knowledge. IT technology has benefited mankind tremendously in so many areas, but its also comes with a price. Advancements in technology make all individuals vulnerable to
As a nation, we have had many first-hand experiences with terrorism and violence. The pain and suffering we are put through as a nation, people tend not to consider being subjected to government surveillance. Our security from future terrorist attacks is vital, then again, not as vital as our privacy. People shouldn’t be so quick to sacrifice their privacy rights, to allow the government to monitor national security. Giving the government the power of invading our privacy, creates an effortless way for them to violate their power and strip citizens of their constitutional rights. People will argue that the price one has to pay for safety, is giving up their rights to privacy. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety” (Independence Hall Association). In other words, those willing to give up their privacy for security, deserve neither. We the people, those who assemble this nation, should not allow the government to invade our privacy or void our 4th amendment right.
In 1787, the constitution was born. The constitution has been America’s guideline to the American way of life. Our US constitution has many points in it to protect America and it’s people from an overpowered government, our economy, and ourselves. The only thing the constitution doesn’t directly give us, is our right to privacy, and our right to privacy has been a big concern lately courtesy of the National Security Agency (NSA).(#7) Although our constitution doesn’t necessarily cover the privacy topic, it does suggest that privacy is a given right. Some people say that the right to privacy was so obvious, that our founding fathers didn’t even feel the need to make a point about it.(#9) It also didn’t help
Ever since day one, people have been developing and creating all sorts of new methods and machines to help better everyday life in one way or another. Who can forget the invention of the ever-wondrous telephone? And we can’t forget how innovative and life-changing computers have been. However, while all machines have their positive uses, there can also be many negatives depending on how one uses said machines, wiretapping in on phone conversations, using spyware to quietly survey every keystroke and click one makes, and many other methods of unwanted snooping have arisen. As a result, laws have been made to make sure these negative uses are not taken advantage of by anyone. But because of how often technology changes, how can it be
Through the example of Mae, Eggers states that the loss of privacy and freedom, through technology and through the technology companies running the government, is posing a great danger to the survival of humanity. Privacy is also something that Kaczynski worries about when talking about what he believes to be the greatest dangers to the survival of humanity. In order to talk about his ideas of this topic, his definition of what makes us fundamentally human needs to be established first. Kaczynski believes that “Human beings have a need (probably based in biology) for something that we will call the power process” (Kaczynski 47). This so called “power process” contains four separate parts: the “goal, effort and attainment of goal… The fourth element… we call it autonomy… people need a greater or lesser degree of autonomy in working toward their goals” (Kaczynski 47, 50). This autonomous effort in attaining the goal is a key component in Kaczynski’s understanding of what makes us fundamentally human.
Digital privacy concerns, which have been a major issue in our country since 2001, increasingly violate our basic human rights as global citizens. The growing amount of government surveillance has manifested in the enactment of acts such as SOPA and CISPA. Although their intent on stopping digital piracy and attacks were clear, both were immediately met with harsh criticism; they allowed big corporations to violate our privacy rights by sharing our personal information with both other companies and the government. Our President, although publicly expressing his acknowledgement of the issue, failed to discuss an array of other pressing dilemmas regulated by the recently exposed National Security Agency (NSA), especially those involving
How would you feel if I told you that I know almost everything there is to know about you – from your occupation to the brand of toothpaste you use, from your IQ to your culinary tastes, and so on – even though you have never met me, and possibly were not even aware of my existence? Most people would immediately state that they would feel violated, stripped of their individuality. Yet millions of people browse the Net day after day, blissfully ignorant of the fact that that they are always being monitored by someone to some degree. By selling you items and/or services, Amazon.com knows your reading preferences; your favorite online grocery store knows what kind of toothpaste you prefer; your university knows
Privacy threats are currently the biggest threat to National Security today. The threats are not only concerning to the government, however. An alarming 92% of Americans are concerned that the power grid may be vulnerable to a cyber-attack (Denholm). Although this is a more recent development to the cyber threats we have experienced, this is not the first time that privacy threats have stepped into the limelight as people are forced to watch their every online move.
As citizens of America we are all entitled to our rights of privacy. When something threatens this guaranteed privacy we tend to take extra precautions to prohibit prolonged violation. As the advancing world of technology continues to grow and expand, so do the amount of cases involving privacy invasion. Technology drives these privacy-invading crimes; however, crime also drives technology, creating a vicious cycle. Without technology an invader could not enter that of a stranger’s life. Conversely, without technology that same criminal would evade the law enforcers. So does technology protect citizens’ privacy, or does it expose one’s entire life? In regards to this question, one must
The digital age provides individuals with numerous ways of innovative opportunities like recording data in an effective manner, electronic banking, online shopping, by violating privacy. Despite what might be expected, the national and global security framework needs components to check programmers and outsider interceptors, who can access delicate data and information, placed in various divisions of the financial framework. These outsider interceptors can then break-in remotely to harm or get access to passwords and usernames.
Privacy laws are established because people have a right to privacy, to an extent. For many years people have argued over their privacy rights, from online videos, to people spying on them, even people stealing internet. People think that they should be completely secluded from others seeing what they’re doing, but in all reality, there’s no stopping people from seeing what you are doing. With more people using the flaws within our media and lives, we as a society must come to accept the fact that people are watching us.
This piece of technology was manufactured and is being marketed by the VeriChip Corporation. The VeriChip is a microprocessor used for verification and identification. A VeriChip can also be referred to as a radiofrequency identification tag, abbreviated as RFID. The VeriChip is used by doctors and is implanted under the human skin behind the triceps of the right arm, between the elbow and shoulder with the use of a syringe and when done the device can be used to identify the person’s medical history, credit-card number, security clearance and even club membership status. The chip is no bigger than 12 mm long and 21 mm in diameter. The insertion of the VeriChip takes approximately 20 seconds and this procedure