Blog Post Nine: Privacy

    The term "privacy" can be used in many different contexts and/or definitions. The definitions of privacy in physical terms is "the right to be left alone, or freedom from interruption or intrusion." Contrarily, information privacy is defined as "the right to some control over how your personal information is acquired and used." How privacy should be regulated and what constitutes privacy are hot topics in today's society. True privacy is supposedly nonexistent, according to popular belief. From the way technology has escalated in the last decade it becomes hard to keep private information away from social media or the public. 

    Catherine Crump, a lawyer for civil liberties, discusses how a shooting has awoken small-town police departments of the national mass of surveillance technology. Local police agencies are now able to collect a ton of sensitive information about people in ways that were never before conceivable because great various sorts of surveillance. As people travel throughout America in their cars, location data can be sensitive since it might expose where you go and where you don't. The government can obtain a thorough picture of how regular citizens interact when this information is paired with data on US citizens. This information is no longer private because of current technologies.

    Too much information on our private lives and what takes place behind closed doors is known to the authorities. Local police departments decide who you are before you get a chance to refute. their assumptions. Police cars, stoplights, and even buildings use license plate readers. They include it into hot lists so they may monitor individuals for illegal activity. Police personnel record every plate that passes a plate reader in addition to recording people and their wrongdoings, which leads to the collection of enormous amounts of information about where Americans have traveled. After listening to her Ted Talk I thought that this was all very interesting and also freighting. Everywhere I drive, there is record of it, including who is with me in my car and everywhere I go. There isn't even privacy for driving to the grocery store or to a friends house. This is an example of how technology has developed in a negative way, leading to no form of security or privacy in life. 

    Governments may help the public become more informed, safeguard their own infrastructure, and ensure that businesses disclose any possible privacy or security issues and follow their stated rules. By using appropriate procedures and strong privacy standards before attempting to access a citizen's personal information, it can also set a positive example. While it is true that excessive regulation and bad legislation can inhibit innovation and can have unforeseen consequences, it is also true that it ti foolish to ignore the issue or believe that the market would automatically resolve all problems. The government can't protect from privacy breaches, but they can raise awareness.