As technology advances continually, our privacy also diminishes. Everything we do using any technology can be viewed and used to see what our interests are, and even things we do every single day. Most companies have either already moved most of their info onto some sort of technological system or may soon make the move. With our personal information being available from many places like our own personal computer, businesses computers, and the online world; our personal lives can be accessed easily by anyone.
One of the easiest ways for personal information to be accessed by anyone is online. Sometimes we readily give away our personal information on sites like Facebook and Myspace, but other times we can often be tricked into giving our personal information away or not even know that we are giving the information away.
When using our email we often sign up for certain messages from certain businesses. However, these companies give away these email addresses to other similar companies which also send us emails in hopes that we are interested in products they have. This is one aspect in which we as consumers are targeted to buy certain things only because these companies might know what some of our interests are. Another technology that uses our information is I tunes. I Tunes has access to all of our music that we put into it. I Tunes now has a feature called Genius in which it predicts songs we might like based on what music we already have. This can be really nice to use when I am interested in listening to some new music, but they are targeting me to buy more music by recommending music they already know I am interested in. Should companies be allowed to use what they know interests us and have access to this information when trying to sell products? Some people like this feature and it could even make buying products easier, but does that mean it is ethical or morally right to do?
Using the internet also puts us at risk to viruses and online fraud in which many lives can be ruined. Viruses can be used to gather personal information and even access to bank accounts through information we put on the computer ourselves. It seems that going online can be very dangerous, and can affect our own personal safety. Sometimes we can easily forget this, and put some aspect of our lives at risk through using the internet. Over the summer I put myself at risk through using the internet and my bank account was hacked into by someone who put up misleading information on a website which tricked me into giving account numbers and what not. I eventually got all my money back, but it was a definite hassle that took extra time and effort out of my life to deal with. When I look back on that situation, I wonder sometimes is the internet worth as much as we think it is if it is putting our lives at risks whether it be something to do with finances or personal info?
One of the issues that I feel I debate about with myself constantly, is the issue of privacy and social networking sites. On these sites we readily give away our personal information and when we do this we rarely question what the consequences might be from doing this. In our reading on privacy Marx said that privacy is important because "Privacy is a resource in inter-personal relations, doled out and exchanged as relationships progress. Intimacy is based partly on the voluntary sharing of personal information with others. Individuals feel free to be “themselves” as they get to know others better, and reciprocal exchanges take place." Depending on which sites you use and what information people can see, other people are then allowed to make judgments and opinions about us by just visiting our profile pages. I personally do not like this because I think that we should give and be given a fair chance when first meeting someone so that we can make good impressions rather than bad ones. Online sites such as Facebook do not really allow for giving people fair chances especially if you do not know a person very well or at all. Our sites may reflect who we are, but people viewing the profiles might view you differently than you would expect them to. This changes the whole process of getting to know someone, and how relationships are traditionally formed. Rather then me being able to tell someone my interests they can look them up online and already know my favorite book or movie. This disintegrates the relationship drastically, and takes away from getting to know someone, moving on to trust them, and affects the intimacy level of that relationship. I do not have a problem with putting up information about myself, but in a world where people may use it against me it might be better to not post it, and avoid the detrimental affects in the long run.
In Europe, Meglena Kuneva, the European Union Commissioner in charge of consumer rights recently issued a warning on Internet User Rights. They want Internet site operators to work within regulators to better protect users. In Europe they also have realized that the internet has lured its users to give away too much personal data. They say that in Europe they have always favored self regulation by the industry, but if these abuses keep occurring they will make new rules to decrease the rate at which personal data is being gathered and given away.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29957812/
In the future I hope that there will be more privacy laws regarding the internet and other technologies. It is hard to say when and if it will actually happen, but the issue at hand cannot solely be blamed on the technologies that put our personal lives at stake. We as people also need to be careful about what we post and let the public view. We do not walk around the city with a list of our interests or phone numbers posted on our backs, however online it is as if that is what we are doing. Corporations and ourselves need to be more careful about what can be made available to the public. I think it will also be important to one day have boundaries as to what information companies can collect from us based on the technologies we are using. It is important to ask whether these technologies are actually helping us or are they ruining us? We might not be able to see all the things they are doing, but it doesn't mean it isn't happening.
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