Is Privacy A Thing of The Past? (Week 14)

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How important is your private information to you? This is a question that perhaps we do not ask ourselves enough. Most of us would probably answer that question by saying our private information is of a high level of importance to us. After all, it is supposed to be "private." But maybe next question we should ask ourselves is: Are we taking the necessary measures to protect that information? Since most of us would agree that it is important, do we read the terms of agreement before downloading an app or signing up for a service? Or do we just click "I agree.” The vast majority of people do not read the terms of agreement before clicking the "I agree" button. But to our defense, companies do not exactly make these terms easy to read and comprehend. Companies' terms of agreement often feature pages upon pages of microscopic texts containing confusing technical and legal jargon. Buried within these pages of small texts are hidden warnings that we are about to grant the company access to our keyboard, camera roll, microphone, and other private aspects of our technological lives. 

These companies do not only expect that we will not fully read these terms, they are banking on it. And most of the time they are right. But we are not entirely helpless in this situation, as we still have full control ever our choice and consent. These companies need us in order to survive, and within that fact lies a great deal of power for the consumer. Although it is easier said than done, it is increasingly crucial that we put our foot down and hold companies accountable for their underhanded approach to accessing and handling our private information. 

In his TED Talk, Andy Yen made a profound point related to this issue. Yen is the one of the founders of ProtonMail, an email service that allows its users to encrypt their email messages to increase privacy. While speaking to the TED audience in Rio de Janeiro, Yen mentioned the fact that there is now a new generation of children who will grow up with an understanding of "privacy" that is much different from what "privacy" was originally supposed to stand for. Kids growing up in today's world may be even less likely than their parents to think carefully about their private information because since birth they have grown accustom to giving away their private information online through apps, services, and websites. With that being said, now is the time to raise our standards and expectations of companies when it comes to our private information. If we are serious about taking back control over our private information we cannot allow the current practices of companies to become the standard for years to come.

Source Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbkB_jNG-zE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E_1AB1rsSw

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