Issues of Privacy

1. How do these issues affect you? Your friends and family?

Issues around privacy affect us all individually and collectively. Because social media is a huge influence on our generation, our search history and location data can be collected, sold, or used without our knowledge. For example, if personal data is leaked or sold to third-party companies, we could face identity theft, spam calls/texts, or even more serious financial repercussions. I know my parents have both had their identity stolen. We also get so many spam messages trying to get us to click links to give away our information. I have gotten fake USPS messages saying my package didn't ship correctly and to send them a new address.

For friends and family, the consequences could be even more harmful. People who aren't as tech-savvy might fall victim to scams, phishing attempts, or unwittingly give up information that puts them at risk. I remember my grandpa being on the phone for hours with a scammer giving away his personal information and credit card info. However, it's not just the older generation, but also the younger generation can be vulnerable to these privacy issues since they often share a lot of personal content on social media without fully understanding the implications. We surveyed the class by a show of hands who actually read through the entire terms and conditions for Instagram, and no one did. We all signed up and gave away our rights to the app without really knowing.

2. What should the government be doing about these issues?

The government has a crucial role to play in protecting citizens' privacy. The Roe v. Wade case ensured that people had the right to privacy, especially women and their right to an abortion. Governments should create and enforce strong data protection laws that require transparency, ensure companies don't make people give away cookies, and promote digital literacy. Governments should also work internationally to tackle data protection, especially as many tech companies operate across borders like Tiktok.

3. What can we do to protect ourselves from invasions of our privacy?

First thing we can do is to not post any personal information or have any prohibited or personal belongings in the background of your photos and videos. We need to be mindful of what we share online and to who we share these things. Another tip is to make difficult passwords and to not use the same password for different websites. One other tip is to use a VPN and be careful about public Wi-Fi. Finally, staying informed about new privacy risks and tools to protect yourself is very important.