Privacy Invasion

 Is Our Privacy Invaded Through The Use Of Technology? 

One of the biggest issues within the United States and many other countries in the world deals with the invasion of privacy and how it happens. We, consumers of technology, have a blind eye towards privacy and don't actually know what is happening when we use our face ID on our smart phones or what happens when we talk on the phone with our loved ones- and it is scary. The government can see and hear everything we say on the phone, what we browse on the internet with our phone, what pictures we take, and much more. What do all of these things have in common? Technology. Technology is extremely advanced compared to when it first became popular, and the way it invades our own privacy needs to be taken note of. 

In a TedTalk by Christopher Soghoian, said that the government has access to every single person's phone calls, text messages, computer searches, emails, and tons more relating to technology. Why is this the case? Well, Christopher says that one of the reasons behind this is to intercept messages sent between terrorists, drug dealers, and possibly anything that can harm the United States. That makes sense and is reasonable until the fact is that it means it has access to not just drug dealer's and terrorists' phones, the government has access to ours too. That is the problem and is where the invasion of privacy begins. However, there is something called encryption which is mainly a tool used to protect your privacy on your phones, computers, and other technology devices. TechTarget Network states, "Encryption is the method by which information is converted into secret code that hides the information's true meaning"(Rouse, 2020).  This does help in terms of privacy on your cell phones, but it doesn't necessary mean that the government cannot trace data back to you, because they can.  

Our technologies that we own and use every day isn't just linked to the government's eyes, but also big companies and corporations too. They can be linked to third parties where anyone can access our information with a few buttons, clicks, and searching- then they have invaded our privacy. Next time you use a technology like a cell phone or computer, be aware of what you search, say, and watch because organizations like big companies, the government, and ultimately the world are watching what you do.