The End of Privacy in the Digital Age

George Lundberg

Terri Williams

September 19, 2012

https://www.digitalethics.org/essays/end-privacy-digital-age

 "For Your Eyes Only"  

First Impression:

It's hard to protect one's privacy, online or not, but on the online side, privacy invasion is a full-scale everyday thing in our chaotic lives; in fact, privacy may be dead at this point.

Quote: 

"Information on the Internet is subject to the same rules and regulations as conversation at a bar."

Reflection Proper: 

Thanks to technology, today's age has a lot of information and communication everyday, levels rising to unparalleled and unpredictable levels and not to mention fully accessible. With that knowledge in mind that information and communication is rapidly flowing like a heavily gushing oil geyser, our privacy and rights may be out of the picture by then. As a popular phrase goes, "What happens here stays here", it relates to privacy, and there have been issues regarding that such as the fact that one's "friends" can wreak havoc on another by using that one's personal information against him or her, or the issue involving "the rights of individuals to take personal information that they receive as a member of someone’s “inner circle” and share it with the knowledge that it may cause embarrassment (or worse) for the subject in question". As one may see in our society nowadays, and as the article states: as Fredrick Lane says that individuals are giving control away -- meaning that  “we trade information that our parents and grandparents would have considered private for fun, for convenience, for that kind of thing.” The main point is that everyone's privacy should be really private, and kept to themselves, because in today's society, information and communication are highly used everyday and keeps on going and going like a never-ending infinite loop, and with everyone watching or doing things online by the hour, any information or any word said or typed can be used in a good way or in a bad way. Of course, if it's something that involves significant use like employee social monitoring software or any software that involves tracking, I suggest one should use it correctly and not irresponsibly. So needless to say, it's best for everyone to protect  their privacy, reputation and possibly their career by knowing and putting a limit of sorts on what they share and post online, because everyone is watching you online, even your enemies, so be vigil and careful at all times.

5 Things Learned From Article: 

1. I learned about privacy invasion being well-known nowadays.

2. I learned that there is two types of privacy invasion: one is legal, which is used by corporations on their employees for instance, and the illegal one, which is well-known.

3. I learned about monitoring software.

4. I learned that communication and information has been on the rise thanks to the digital age.

5. I learned that individuals should protect their privacy, reputation, and maybe career with the best defense they have.

5 Integrative Questions:

1. Why do people never realize that their carefree habits are making them open to privacy invasion?

2. Do the ones with the legal use of privacy invasion know their limits and rights when it comes to this sort of thing?

3. What's a good suggestion for monitoring software when it comes to social media apps and networks?

4. Do people know the common ground rules when it comes to spreading information and communicating with others?

5. How do you protect your privacy online?