Blog Post #5 Ted Talks (PRIVACY)

    Let’s begin by looking at the dangers of mass surveillance. Catherine Crump shared something pretty alarming that most people probably don’t know about. She pointed out that the government has a massive database storing people’s location information, just in case they ever need it. This is hard to grasp because it means we’re being tracked without any real reason. If the government has access to this data, they can know where we are and what we’re doing, building profiles of us, even if we haven’t done anything wrong. Obviously this is a huge privacy violation, especially for those who are just going about their daily lives, completely innocent. We should be able to go about our day without feeling like we’re being watched. Having this kind of information stored is also risky because it could be hacked, putting our personal details and security out there for the wrong people to find.

    I also want to talk about the potential problems with electronic tattoos. This is becoming a big issue for newer generations. Younger generations don’t always think about the digital footprint they’re leaving when they post online. What many people don’t realize is that once something is online, it's online; point blank period. Enriquez made a key point that once you share something, it’s like getting a permanent tattoo on the internet, even if you think you're deleting it.

    Next, I want to dive into some eye-opening facts from Soghoian’s TED talk discussing phone surveillance. He explained some things that really surprised me, especially how phones were set up to be tapped right from the start. Everyone uses their phones every day for calls, texting, or social media. The scary part is that some phone providers can listen in on calls, meaning anyone could be eavesdropping. This is a huge violation. Sensitive information could be picked up, and this opens the door for the government, hackers, or other groups to track us. Even the smallest detail, like an address or a name, can be used to find us. The government shouldn’t be allowed to spy on our calls, no matter what. Our reality is that we are under 24/7 surveillance, and it’s making us unsafe.