Blog Post 5

Navigating the Digital Age

For this section, 6 TedTalk videos were watched and although they were from six-ten years ago, the underlying message from each one still sets the framework for online privacy concerns today. The topics of the videos were Electronic Tattoos, Privacy and Surveillance, Encryption, Cyber bullying or Digital Domestic Violence, Privacy, and Consent. They all were interesting, and before answering the questions, below are notes and key takeaways. Answers to the specific assignment questions are on the last page, but thoughts are commented throughout the notes..

“Electronic Tattoos”, what you post, what you follow, and even what you read on platforms like Facebook, X (Twitter), Google and Wikipedia, reveals a lot about who we are. Nothing is truly anonymous, and everything we do stays online forever. The video referenced the story of the ancient Greek myths like Sisyphus eternally rolling the massive boulder up the hill just for it to roll back down again, or Orpheus, who lost everything just because he couldn’t resist looking back at his wife. You can’t look too far and it can’t be unseen. There’s also the story of Atlanta, a great runner who would marry whoever could beat her but would execute whoever lost the race against her. But, there was one that beat her. Hippomenes only won by distracting her with golden apples, which makes me think about how the different social media platforms constantly throw notifications, likes, and trends just to keep us distracted while they profit from our attention. We’re so busy staring at our screens that we fall into the same trap of being distracted from what might be happening. IIt used to be the worst thing you could do to someone was threatening them with death. But now with the electronic tattoos, it is almost the opposite. We are threatened with immortality meaning whatever we post, send, and search, is on the web forever. 

Beyond our digital footprints, the topic around privacy is a deeper issue when looking at how the technology has scaled up, moving from just being in military environments to local law enforcement, and now our everyday mobile apps like Life360, and FindMy. Everywhere we drive, bike, walk, our GPS data is being tracked, meaning our everyday routines are constantly being monitored, and we can easily be profiled by just the locations pinned. Everything from street cameras to license plate readers, also add intel of where and when you‘ve gone somewhere, and who you are with. This info is being collected on a mass public basis and this isn’t just for criminals, but everyone, just in case it might be useful in the future. What once was used by law enforcement and military is now very common and accessible. Cell towers are another example because they communicate straight to your phone to provide network service. Every time your phone connects to a tower, it leaves a digital footprint of which specific tower  you connected to. By analyzing which towers your phone connects to over time, service providers and government agencies, and even companies targeting products and services with access to this data can track your movements, map out your daily routines, and build a portfolio of where you drive, work, and what you buy. 

Because so much of our lives are integrated online, the shift from old-school, manual wiretapping to seamless digital surveillance has completely changed the privacy concept. Everything from a quick text from your mom, dad, friend, or an email to a doctor is a potential target for hackers. To overcome this, tech companies have built-in encryption as a default setting, creating a barrier for the governments trying to keep tabs on people. It’s very tricky because while we want the government to be able to track criminals and terrorists, we don’t want everyday people to have their privacy invaded. Making it possible for law enforcement to access encryption by building backdoors could result in dangerous situations because criminals can then hack it too. In the past, governments in places like China and Greece have actively fought against encryption technology to maintain control, but stripping away these digital walls doesn’t just let authorities in, it leaves everyday users totally exposed to stalkers, cybercriminals, and possible foreign threats. Ultimately, utilizing encrypted technology isn’t about hiding; it’s about protecting our basic right to privacy in an era where drawing the line between public safety and personal security is harder than ever. 

This reality is especially terrifying when looking at the rise of cyberbullying and digital domestic violence issues that we can relate to. Often stemming from toxic relationships or relationships gone wrong, this modern form of abuse involves exposing personal content from cell phones and laptops without a person’s permission or consent. Everyone has heard of stories of explicit pictures being shared, some were real but not consensual and some just made up through AI. Legal protections remain frustratingly limited and complex. Throughout high school we had speakers and presentations about online safety and cyberbullying, yet so much still goes on. While bills  like “The Enough Act” (Ending Nonconsensual Online User Graphic Harassment Act) introduced by Kamala Harris to criminalize revenge porn, it never passed into law. There is also the Protection From Abuse (PFA) orders which offer some defense against cyberstalking, enforcing these boundaries is a long process since the internet is broad, but our laws are not. Even the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) law that regulates digital material and content aims to protect both copyright owners and consumers. Ultimately, we need strict accountability from online tech companies to promote real social responsibility. By forcing online platforms to monitor malicious sharing and texting, and help take it down, we can begin to strip away the embarrassment,shame and fear of judgment that victims face, and helping them find the ourage to speak out. 

But finding the courage to share our stories becomes a completely different challenge when we look at the reality of our digital privacy. Honestly, it's kind of terrifying how much of our lives is online. Every time we post, search, or send a quick email, those contents will outlive us. It feels like our generation is losing sight of what real privacy even means because the definition has drastically changed. By definition privacy is the fundamental right and ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves, their personal space or their information from others. This really can’t be done in today’s digital age. Take email for example, without realizing it, we’re essentially exposing our private thoughts, and even with basic encryption, big tech servers usually hold the keys to lock and unlock that setting. That’s how giants like Google and Yahoo make their billions; they want to know everything about you, where you live, how old you are, what you like, and what you don’t like, so the easiest way to get this intel is to invade your privacy online. While more secure options like PGP (pretty good privacy) encryption have existed for a while, they’ve always been way too complicated for the average person to use. Ever since Edward Snowden exposed the massive scale of government surveillance, the real challenge has been making these protections accessible to everyone. Some platforms like ProtonMail or DuckDuckGo actually have better data privacy but are not as common. Our online data is our entire life story, our friendships, our late-night thoughts, and future aspirations. If we want the true freedom to speak out, we should have the right to decide exactly who gets to see it. 

But deciding who gets to see our data becomes almost impossible when you realize how easy we give away our “consent” every day without a second thought. Think about it, anytime we download a new app or connect to a campus Wi-Fi network, we blindly accept those long and complicated terms and conditions. A study back in 2018 showed that actually reading the terms and conditions for the apps on the average person’s phone would take over 31 hours. But by fast-forwarding through the fine print, we have no real clue what we’re permitting these companies to do. It’s like that creepy smart doll “Kayla” from a few years ago; families would have to download an app to make it work, and they would be completely unaware that they were consenting to let third parties hold their kids’ data or that anyone with a bluetooth connection nearby could intercept the doll. It got so bad it was banned in multiple countries. We’re doing the exact same thing on our phones right now. We are agreeing to let apps own our content forever or use our data to affect our future lives, potential jobs and credit scores and more. The hard truth is, real consent shouldn’t be a trap hidden in a 50 page legal document. Tech companies should offer better privacy options, build trust with their customers and work with governments to enforce and protect privacy rights.

Three main questions were also answered in the summary section. Specifically here:

• How do these issues affect you? Your friends and family 

It’s very different for my generation, everything I ever posted will outlive me. Friends and family, future employers, and future wife can see what I’ve posted. They can form opinions about me, make decisions and assumptions that can determine opportunities. Every click, 👍🏻,👎🏻comment, image, communication, are digitally documented. Nothing is really private. It creates an entirely different set of rules than previous generations about what people will know about you and how you need to be extra cautious about sending any and all communication, documents, financial info. Encryption has helped, but there’s still a lot of fraud and exposure. It is more and more difficult to tell the difference between real and fake information. After watching the videos, it made me think of all the times I clicked “accept” not really knowing what permissions I was giving all of these apps and companies to do with my data. 

• What should the government be doing about these issues?

I don’t want the government to control my life, but also want rules and regulations to protect me. I struggle with this one and I think our society does too. We want our privacy but we also want to be protected so finding the right balance for laws and regulations without infringing on our rights is an ongoing battle. I want law enforcement to have the ability to identify the criminals and their activity. But it is creepy when companies know what I shopped for last and push similar ads of things I might be interested in next. Where do you draw the line? 

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

One good step to protect ourselves is to always utilize strong and unique passwords for setting up platform accounts. Another great step that everyone should do but not everyone does, is to frequently check your settings to revoke permissions like location, microphone, and camera to apps that don’t need these on to function. Look up some of the privacy rules and what data the company shares and who they share it with. Change your privacy settings.