Technology and its Effects on Privacy - Essay Example

Technology and its Effects on Privacy The present age is the age of information, where most activities, includingeconomic activities, are information based. This is mainly because of the high level of technological advancement today. Technology has made the world to become a global village, as it has broken down all the geographical boundaries and barriers to enable people from different parts of the world to communicate easily through the trans-border flow of data. The Internet has played a major role in making this happen, since most people from different world regions will easily link up today by using the E-mail and other social network sites, including Facebook and MySpace. However, the use of information and information transmission through technology use has resulted in major problems regarding ethics and jurisdiction. These problems are mainly concerned with the right of privacy and the right of access to information, which are threatened by the current free flow of information, as well as the safeguarding of the financial interests of the owners of intellectual property. This essay mainly focuses on how people lose their privacy by putting all their information online, including in social network sites such as Facebook, and how this and similar technology influence people negatively, thus, endangering the human race. The present generation is known to be dependent on technology more than the past generations. Therefore, most of the various problems that arise in the world today are based on technology. Unlike the past decades where technology was used in moderation, the present generation has informationalized most of its activities. According to Coughlan, this rampant use and increasing inventions in technology put the human race in danger. The overuse and misuse of technology by humans might lead to the extinction of the human race in future (n.pag.). Therefore, in regard to the privacy issue, various technologies today infringe people’s privacy, obtaining their personal information, which is highly sensitive. Additionally, different countries get the sensitive online information about other countries, which they consider their foes, through the Internet. Therefore, the party that retrieved the information online might use this information for different purposes. Nonetheless, a negative and malicious use of this information might result in negative effects for the individual or the country that was tracked. Coughlan notes that today, computer technology can manipulate the real world, and, therefore, misguided intentions of computer use might be detrimental to the human race. With an increased advancement in technology, which might be lethal if misused, the humanity of this generation poses a threat to its own survival (Coughlan n.pag.). The issue of privacy has existed in the world since the development of information technology, computing, as well as the digital media. Today, social computing, email, mobile data, cookies, GPS, and networked video and audio capture among others are the examples of technologies, which have a negative impact on the users regarding their privacy (Lohr n.pag.). These technologies allow to mine the user’s information, as some of them monitor and keep surveillance of communication and data. In addition, the people using these technologies make it easier for their identity to be established, as they post their personal information and share it with other users. According to Lohr, most online activities a person is engaged in often lead to the diminishing of their level of privacy (n.pag.). For instance, Internet sites such as Facebook and Twitter require one to share most of their personal information such as birthday details with other friends. In this case, most people share their photos, photos of their families, gossipping at their work place and school, among other social and personal information. According to Lohr, when people engage in such self-revelation, it becomes easier for computers to assemble their information and create their identity. This is possible since the laws for privacy protection have not been wholly adopted by most technologies today. Although one might adopt strict privacy on their online profiles, this is not enough to protect their privacy, because of the high interconnectedness of the Internet, and its ability to identify people from their social patterns. Additionally, by using the personal data a person posts online, it is possible to trace a person’s social security number (Lohr n.pag.). Since the introduction of Facebook, there have been different privacy concerns about this social networking site. Nonetheless, recently, Facebook has introduced a new Facebook application called Facebook Home. According to Kelly (n.pag.), this Facebook application will increase the detrimental effects on the privacy of its users. Facebook Home gives the company an access to a lot more personal data of its users. This application is designed with extra features for posting on Facebook, thus, offering better communication with friends, and so it is more convenient for users. However, this application is more powerful and, therefore, enables the company to collect a lot of personal data of users. By using this Facebook application, the Facebook Company can track the location of the users and all their actions. Furthermore, the use of this application on android phones will enable Facebook Company to track the text messages and calls of the user, including the length of calls, the caller, the frequency of calls, and most importantly, the information conveyed in the communication between the user and the caller (Kelly n.pag.). Therefore, Facebook will have most of the details of a user’s private life, and this infringes the privacy of the users. This Facebook application can only be used on smart phones, meaning Facebook could access information about a person’s location and neighborhood, therefore, allowing for personalized adverts for users. This application automatically collects the user’s information, without them posting it on their Facebook profiles (Kelly n.pag.). Such data mining has negative influence on the privacy of users. Today, there are hackers, who have gotten smart; they can access such sensitive and confidential personal data including a user’s location that leads to the infringement of the privacy of the users. Additionally, malicious hackers could use this confidential information of users to conduct criminal acts, which might have adverse effects on the users of the Facebook application. Apart from infringing the privacy of users, this also exposes them to danger. In conclusion, the issue of privacy of Internet users continues to raise a considerable interest today, and most people have worried about their privacy when using online sites. People on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites share their personal information with others. In addition, some company sites require people to submit their personal information, which is saved in their databases. Therefore, this leads to a considerable level of self-revelation on the Internet, since one’s personal data might be accessed and retrieved by different people. In such a way, a person loses control over who can access their personal information. An access of people’s personal information by malicious people such as hackers might lead to different negative effects on the user. In addition, cyber-crime today is perpetuated because the attackers can access information about an individual or country online. This is, therefore, a problem, which has been brought about by technology, as it did not exist in the past eras of limited technology. Nonetheless, a remedy to this situation would be to develop strict rules that prohibit Internet service providers from tracking the online activities of users as well as the retrieving their personal information. Different countries are seeking various ways of addressing this problem, which has developed because of technology; as this puts at risk the lives and well-being of individuals and countries, when their personal information lands in the wrong hands. Although governments are playing their role, individuals also need to participate in this, since governments alone might not be able to address this issue. For instance, the government might not control what a person posts on Facebook, or the kind of personal information they share with other people on social sites. Therefore, individuals must watch out and act responsibly when online. It is better if individuals treat the online environment as any public environment, thus, avoiding much of unnecessary self-revelation. Works Cited Coughlan, Sean. “How are Humans Going to Become Extinct?” BBC News, 24 April 2013. Web. 14 May 2013. < http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22002530>. Kelly, Heather. “Facebook Home, Privacy and You.” CNN International, 5 April 2013. Web. 16 May 2013. < http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/05/tech/social-media/facebook-home-privacy>. Lohr, Steve. “How Privacy Vanishes Online.” New York Times 16 March 2010. Web. 14 May 2013. < http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/technology/17privacy.html>. Read More