Date Posted: 11/22/2012 12:45:26 PM
Posted By: Nick Censored Membership Level: Bronze Total Points: 75
Digital privacy in this technological age has raised a controversial and widely debatable concern. While there is need to appreciate technological advancement as a great milestone in global development, on the other hand, it has brought with it its negatives. More and more people globally are using the internet on a daily basis for different reasons, ranging from online searches, visiting websites they are interested in to online purchases of products. These online transactions are useful to the users but the privacy of the same transactions is in doubt. For example, once you use the internet to read or even buy an ebook, you are likely to leave an electronic trail that is easily traceable to you. Therefore it becomes a way of surveillance on you without your knowledge. Online search engines are able to gather and keep track of online transactions transacted through them. These transactions include online book reading habits, the amount of time spent on a particular website and even the number of times one visits certain websites. Another problem arises where one decides to delete something posted on a social network website. The post is deleted on the face of it, but in reality, a trail traceable to that post is still existent. Every individual is entitled to privacy and this freedom needs to be safeguarded at all costs. An online reader of a newspaper or an ebook needs to have freedom to read whatever he likes and spend whatever time he wishes to spend on a website without any surveillance whatsoever. There is a need to protect the freedom of the reader as well as the reading matter.The VeriChip Implantable Chip is one of the technologies that allow an individual’s private date to be researched and examined. Applied Digital Solutions are the makers of this technology. This chip has its own ID number and emits frequencies to a special receiver that can read it. It’s implanted under the skin of a person by injecting it in a normal outpatient procedure. A similar device has been implanted in livestock and pets to enable their owners to keep track of them. The ID number of a VeriChip is linked to medical databases of an individual thus providing access to medical histories especially to physicians. Other forms of personal data can also be linked to the VeriChip. Therefore, a person implanted with this chip generates data wherever he is and leaves a data trail.The wOzNet chip, created by Stephen Wozniak, is another technology similar to VeriChip but different in that it is not implanted. It’s a wearable identification device. It tracks electronic tags in base stations via the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS). This gadget is customized to receive alerts making it possible to locate the electronic tags. Wearable chips can be linked to personal data since they also have their special barcodes that serve as personal IDs. A person’s movement can be tracked and linked to existing data banks.Networked Computing is another technology where computer programs connect PCs through the Internet. Work is shared and distributed among Computers via a communications network. Some applications, such as spyware, are created which aid in accessing information on PCs without the consent of the user. They deliver adware to unsuspecting customers after gathering relevant information about the users. The personal data collected can be commodified and traded to the disadvantage of a user.The advantages arising from researchers of this information depend upon the researcher. If it’s a online company, it is able to monitor the amount of purchases made and can therefore tailor its products’ specifications to suit the consumers. The data can also be traded to other companies, which helps to identify the likely consumers and save costs incurred in advertising to uninterested people. Where the researcher is the government, it helps to maintain security by monitoring the information exchanged online. A disadvantage arising out of researching private data is that it leads to loss of trust to them. People will not trust the researchers due to the breached privacy.Access to this information could be advantageous to people especially where they consent. In relation to the VeriChip, for example, where a person implanted with it gets lost or is kidnapped, he can be easily traced. The disadvantage comes up where essential personal data is collected and traded without their consent thereby infringing on their privacy.Citizens need to take measures to prevent disclosure of information to others. First, there is need to be careful with the internet and ensuring that only relevant information is shared by avoiding irresponsible online posting of information. Secondly, to prevent malwares like spyware and adware from getting into the system, there is need to install pop-up blockers and firewalls. Regular updates of anti-malware and anti-virus are recommendable. Thirdly, before subscribing to company private policies, there is need to ensure that one’s personal information will not be shared. Citizens should also guard their information by ensuring that personal emails are not shared in online blogs and chats. Anonymous accounts should be used instead to chat and comment on discussion forums.The USA Patriot Act allows government surveillance on citizens’ private information through intercepting private conversations. “Bugs” are used to listen in on telephone conversations. The aim of this law is to curb terrorism and maintain security. Lots of concerns have been raised about this law. Some see it as an infringement of privacy to individuals, culminating to court cases challenging this law. I agree with this law in so far as it curbs terrorism. The overriding objective of this law is not to infringe on privacy of citizens but to maintain peace and security for the public good.Electronic privacy laws have been developed to deal with privacy in the US. The state of California, for example, passed a law protecting the privacy of readers. The Reader Privacy Act restricts government agencies from accessing data on customers from bookstores and online booksellers, unless a court order is sought. This law is meant to safeguard the vulnerability of online readers in this information technology age. This law was sponsored by the California affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union, passed in October 2011 and took effect on January 1st 2012. This law has been effective as it has kept pace with the digital revolution. Californians are increasingly relying on online services to surf, read and buy books. These digital books now sell more than paperbacks on Amazon website due to the enhanced privacy law.Privacy of citizens should be maintained to safeguard freedom of expression and build consumer trust in companies. More privacy laws should be adopted to achieve this objective.
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