Monday, December 10, 2007
No such thing as privacy
The digital revolution has not only allowed us to come up with solutions to different concerns, but it has also created many problems that have occured. The biggest issue with the internet today is privacy. Everything from identity theft to simply tracking the use of particular sites has made this a world in which no privacy exist. Although having connections to people across the globe and the power to find out information just by the click of a button is amazing, it does have negative aspects. One example is Facebook and the new feature it has recently introduced. This feature called Beacon is used in order to track purchases made by Facebook users and then advertises the product for all to see. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/technology/06facebook.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1197325739-3LudAalou9edV+ODWETymA Even a social networking site has a way of exploiting you and your identity. Many issues such as this have caused problems for web users. When using the internet, you cant feel safe about making a purchase or having something of yours advertised for all to see. The problem is that we cant stop the intrusion of privacy. As long as free speech and search engines against censorship are allowed then the internet is an open door for everyone to look into. In the article "The Age of Sousveillance", Steve Mann states
"The reason sousveillance is such a concern is that it is not under control and
there are no transparently obvious ways it could be brought under control"This to me seems to be the most important issue in the internet today. With all the hackers out there, we have no way of really keeping certain information a secret. Someone will always be able to get particular information that is useful to them just by your actions on the web.
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Two different issues here. Sousveillance is one topic. And Facebook's sharing of purchase info is another issue. Both are about monitoring behavior, both are about privacy, but they represent two different types of threat.
The Facebook story is a hot topic at the moment. Facebook is trying to push the boundaries and some people are trying to stop this kind of intrusion. It seems controversial today but it maybe acceptable in a year or two.
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The Facebook story is a hot topic at the moment. Facebook is trying to push the boundaries and some people are trying to stop this kind of intrusion. It seems controversial today but it maybe acceptable in a year or two.
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