Is your privacy really private?

 

After watching the videos related to the issue of privacy, I was very surprised to learn how I am being watched in ways that I never realized.  I thought that license plate surveillance technology was only used by the police for law enforcement purposes (for example, to recover stolen cars or help solve crimes).  In reality, by observing when and where a vehicle travels, a company can learn if someone goes to church (or not), where they shop, where they work, and even who is in the vehicle with them.  I also was surprised to see how much personal information can be obtained using facial recognition technology.  The ability to identify a person with just a snapshot of their face can give companies mountains of personal information, like internet browsing habits, credit scores, and criminal records.  This can lead to financial hardship (being denied a mortgage) and discrimination (being charged a higher rate for health insurance).

When using an app or website, most people don’t bother to read the Terms & Conditions.  They are very long and too complicated for the average person to understand.  I think the government should force companies to make them simpler and easier to read, so users understand how their data is being used.  In Finn Lützow Holm Myrstad’s TED talk, he used the example of a dating app that pre-checked a box allowing access to all of his Facebook photos.  If he had not taken the time to read the Terms & Conditions carefully, he would have had no idea, and someday his photos could have been used without his knowledge.  Informed consent would go a long way towards building consumers’ trust in companies.

What can we do to protect ourselves from invasions of privacy?  Most importantly, make sure your social media accounts are all set to private.  That way, only the people you choose can access your content.  You don’t want a prospective employer browsing photos of you at fraternity parties!  When granting people access via friend or follower requests, make sure they are someone you actually know.  And when posting or commenting on social media, think before you post.  As my mom likes to say, don’t post something online that you wouldn’t want your grandmother to read.  The extent to which my privacy is violated makes me consider what I post online very carefully.  Privacy concerns affect my family in their choice to post online, or not.  My Dad does not have any social media accounts at all except for LinkedIn, but my 92 year old great grandmother is on Facebook!  She says she uses it primarily to see our family’s posts and photos, but I am sure she doesn’t know what is being done with her personal information.  She is not alone.