Privacy, Online & Off

 Technology consumes our daily lives. We carry our cell phones with us everywhere we go and use our computers to do our jobs. Our relationship with technology has grown rapidly especially in the past decade. Furthermore, our digital footprint has become excessively larger as-well. 

From every post we like to every topic we google search is documented to profile us. Everything we put out onto the internet will always exist. This collection of data along with the new advances in technology can become a threat to our personal privacy. Our government has the ability to access this information and study our daily life. This is done just in case security issues arise but when does this collection of data cross the line. 

These issues make my daily life feel more exposed and stalked rather than private. It creates an environment where the average civilian no longer feels independent. Our federal government should not be able to have the personal details and daily schedule of someones life at their will.  To prevent this power from exceeding and continuing more in depth privacy laws should be put into place. 

These laws could be aimed specifically at social media companies and law enforcement. Setting these guidelines could specify which certain information can and cannot be collected. Furthermore, these laws could protect the average citizen from having their information being collected specially without their knowledge and consent. 

Some ways we can take this violation of personal privacy into our own hands is by becoming more aware of our presence on the internet. We must become more careful and dissect what we post out onto the internet. Questioning wether what we wish to post or like is really worth it can become helpful. 

We should continue to use tools like Face Time and Apple iMessages to communicate because they have been proven to more secure and not open to the government. Determining which information we wish to communicate online is the most important can save extremely personal information from being collected. 

More awareness about the threat to personal privacy is needed in the modern world. We can forget how easily it is can be for our personal information to be collected with out our knowledge. Taking a stand against these issues must continue and we must find a solution to create change.