Internet & Society Essay #3 - The Right to Privacy

Internet & Society: The Right to Privacy

By Shwetha Jayaraj 05.18.2020

Privacy is often overlooked in terms of priorities when it comes to emerging technologies and programs that are popularized in today’s society. However, overlooking this privacy factor is a dire mistake to make as this quality is analogous to the safety and security of the entire user operation. Today, nearly every money-making platform is legally required to have a privacy policy listed on some part of their page as a way to let users be informed on what they are signing up for when they choose to create an account. In fact, whenever someone creates an account or signs up for anything on the internet these days, the privacy policy is typically embedded into the terms and conditions that you usually have to accept before you agree to sign up with them. In this essay, you will see some ways in which privacy makes a huge difference in the lives of people and what steps can be taken today to ensure your privacy, safety, and freedom on the internet.

Privacy is a huge issue in our country and around the globe today as more and more people are uploading their data on to the internet. We are starting to create rules as to how we should navigate our way through this digital era and the way that we start is by defining what rights specifically when it comes to internet freedom as well as the basic human right to privacy.

Privacy is important for a number of reasons. Even if your privacy isn’t important to you, there are others for whom privacy is of crucial significance. Just because you may be comfortable giving up your personal information, there are plenty of people who aren't' and they shouldn’t have to fight to keep their addresses out of publicly accessible databases or off of a website where it’s easily obtained. Victims of domestic violence, members of the LGBT community,

political activists, human rights, and more groups all need a healthy access to privacy in order to protect their safety as well as speak their truth without fear of judgement.

In March 2012, FBI Director, Robert Mueller revealed that hacking would overshadow terrorism as the biggest threat for the nation in the near future. While 50 per cent of the hacking cases in the US are attributed to hacktivism, a whopping 40 per cent are attributed to cybercrimes.

The intensive collection of data and the inherent advantages of the new technology have spawned the cynical idea that privacy is dead, and we might as well just get used to that fact. In what follows, I will describe three aspects of the right to privacy that have become especially relevant in the digital world. I will then demonstrate that not only is privacy still alive and kicking, but also that we should treat it with the respect it deserves as the most important of all human rights in the digital world.

Individuals should be able to choose what space within their personal domain can be accessed by others and to control the manner, scope and timing of its exposure.From this perspective, and in a different and more extreme fashion than with regard to other human rights, the borders of the right to privacy allow for compromise and flexibility. Thanks to this control, I — as an individual — have the right to view the content of databases containing information about me. Furthermore, no one is allowed to make any use of this information without my consent, except in extraordinary circumstances. I retain the privilege to agree to the terms of use before I download an app onto my cell phone or began to use freeware — product categories

whose economic model rests on commercializing my personal data.

Were this not enough, there is also the psychological phenomenon of the “privacy paradox,” which refers to the discrepancy between the concept of privacy reflected in what users say (“I care deeply about my privacy”) and their actual behavior (“A free pizza? Fantastic! What information do you need?”)

The downside of the notion of privacy as control is that our control of our personal data is quite fictional. There is an overall problem — whereby commercial entities avail themselves of huge tranches of private information without having obtained real consent for doing so. This information, in turn, can be put to various uses, some of which are of value, while others pose serious threats to society.

Above all, we need to understand the limits of privacy as control. It is clear that the best approach would be to upgrade our digital literacy and learn how to deal with the situation; but the problems noted here make this idea only minimally relevant. Perhaps the solution is to start with clearer legislation — national or international — that defines reasonable and legitimate uses of personal information and mandates companies to obtain the consent of the individual involved, only when the proposed use does not fall into that category.

Somewhat paradoxically, the second approach to the right to privacy in a digital world relates to the most basic and classic connotation of the right to privacy — the “right to be left alone.” This refers to our right to preserve and protect our identity and maintain a safe and protected space around our body, thoughts, feelings, darkest secrets, lifestyle and intimate activities. A world with sensors and surveillance cameras all around us, along with recording

devices and gadgets that are constantly monitoring what we do, has far-reaching psychological ramifications.

So what are some ways to ensure your privacy and to practice proper data-securing measures? Since data privacy is such a prevalent issue, many government organizations and corporations spend millions of dollars each year to help protect their data—which could include your PII—from exposure. The average consumer probably doesn’t have that kind of money to spend. But there are inexpensive steps you can take to help protect your data. Here are a few suggestions:

1. At home, use a mail slot or locking mailbox, so that thieves can’t steal your mail.

2. Before discarding, shred documents, including receipts and bank and credit card statements, that contain personal information.

3. Make sure to secure your home Wi-Fi network and other devices so that criminals can’t “eavesdrop” on your online activity.

4. Don’t automatically provide your Social Security number just because someone asks for it. Determine if they really need it and, if so, ask how they’ll help protect it.

5. Use strong, unique passwords for all of your online accounts.

Furthermore, a method that I use to prevent my privacy from being infringed upon and to protect my data is to switch from the popular data-collecting browser of Google Chrome. Instead I use the Brave Browser which is a newly developed browser founded by the creator of the Javascript language and former CEO of Firefox Brendan Eich. Compared to the privacy infringing browsers such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, or Edge, the Brave

Browser in comparison has been proven to run 8 times faster than Google Chrome (which is considered today to be one of the fastest browsers) due to the fact that it removes absolutely all ads on all sites thus making the browser run much faster and smoother. Instead of ads, the Brave browser encourages users to only watch ads that you choose and in return incentivizes them with cryptocurrencies. After using the Brave browser I have definitely seen how much faster I can use the internet without having to worry about my data getting collected as is often the case with big tech companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Facebook.

In conclusion, privacy should be among the first things we consider when releasing and reviewing our personal data as society continues to make more and more of a digital footprint on the internet. Privacy is a basic human right and giving up this fundamental freedom will lead to huge issues in humanity such as lack of independence and personal choice . As society becomes more technologically advanced, it becomes ever more important to secure this right by having an educated and informed public audience and this must be protected at all costs. Otherwise, the authoritarian governments that were fearsomely discussed in dystopian books like ​1984​ could easily come true.

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