INTERNET PRIVACY A CONTENTIOUS ISSUE
The right to privacy is a fundamentally accepted moral and legal right, and the right to privacy on the Internet is in most cases considered to be part of these rights. However while the Internet provides a wealth of information, products, and services to its consumers it is also a rich source of information about consumers. Thus it is the intention of this analytical essay to argue that privacy is becoming more and more a contentious issue for Internet users. Subsequently this essay will explore specifically how our privacy is being breached on the Internet in part by analysing a social networking site called Facebook. It will also analyse and discuss what can and is being done to protect our privacy online.
Accordingly to better enable this essay to answer the overriding question of why Internet privacy is such a contentious issue it will be broken into three main parts. Part one will analyse specifically what is causing us so much concern when it comes to protecting our privacy on the Internet. Part two will analyse a recent specific example relating to what can potentially happen when a person’s online privacy is not respected, and part three will sum up by exploring what can and is being done to stop it. Furthermore, these points will be backed by scholarly evidence, quotes, and statistics which will help to give evidentiary support to this essay’s argument.
First let’s look at a few reasons why online privacy is becoming such a contentious issue. When we browse the Internet we leave behind a trail of information that anyone who is technologically savvy enough can follow. This data often includes technical information that programmers use to evaluate their website activity and customize their webpage layouts accordingly. However some software takes a more active role in sending information about the user back to the hacker, company, or program developer. It is called ‘Spyware’ and often comes imbedded in various programs provided to us online for free in order to entice us into downloading them. (Hintz 2001, p. 16). Spyware will even operate when we are not online. It will discretely gather information about us such as our tastes in music, movies, and even our personal details. Once re-connected with the net Spyware will then send all the information it has gathered back to the source.
Another more recent way for scammers, hackers, and even Governments to gather our personal information is through social networking sites such as Facebook. It has been recently disclosed that Government agencies such as the CIA are increasingly documenting or mapping social networks to obtain our information (Lynch 2010, p.1). It has even been suggested that the CIA has an indirect connection with Facebook through its brother company In-Q-Tel, however this has not been proven.
Recently the DEA released a PDF presentation condoning the use of security exploits to collect information but ironically further into the report cryptically mentions the ability to potentially recover private content only shared amongst those chosen by the page owner. Furthermore a document released by the FBI also states using covert accounts to obtain protected information. While none of these documents directly address the legality or ethics of using security exploits to violate social networks terms of use, they certainly raise questions about their lack of set limits in obtaining private information and absence of appropriate oversight in their techniques (Lynch 2010, p.2).
Secondly, now that we have considered how, who, and possibly why our online privacy is being invaded, let’s look at a specific example of what can potentially happen when a person’s online privacy is not respected. The following is a true story taken from an excerpt of the BBC Online News report. Tyler Clementi was a first year student studying at Rutgers University in New Jersey who leapt to his death after two students secretly filmed him having sex with a man and broadcast it over the internet (Mackenzie, BBC News 2010). Two of Tyler’s dorm room mates Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei secretly used their personal webcam to film Tyler while instantaneously streaming it live online using a social network program called iChat video. Tyler’s body was found in the Hudson River a day later after he jumped off the George Washington Bridge.
This story is an excellent example of why online privacy is such a contentious issue. There is no doubt that Internet technology played a part in driving Tyler to commit suicide. However living in a society where young homosexuals are persecuted and marginalised was most likely also a large factor. Whatever the case it was clearly an avoidable situation, and Tyler may have still been alive today had his private life not been irresponsibly put on display online. Today Tyler has been used as the face behind gay rights and online privacy advocates alike. Hence the above example shows why online privacy is so important. However in conclusion let’s look at some of the ideas individuals, companies, and Governments have come up with to possibly stop this kind of thing from happening in the future.
As public confidence in matters of online privacy lessens there is mounting evidence that a successful remedy may be harder than first thought to find. One way to perhaps reduce the risks is through a protective framework of the legislative kind (Clarke, 1999, p.60). Another way has been suggested by communications scholar Brin. He argues that privacy protections are futile and that privacy can only be sustained by Business and governments in most advanced countries by focusing on providing freedom of information for everyone. He says “to achieve privacy, rely on freedom, not secrecy.” Brin’s argument can be succinctly expressed as: Who will keep a watch on the watchers? Answer: The watched (Clarke, 1999, p.63)
In the United States online privacy is seemingly protected through a combination of constitutional guarantees, federal and state statutes, regulations, and voluntary codes of conduct. However all the laws in the world cannot stop people from illegally attacking others online privacy. In the 21st century as the Internet expands at a rapid rate, online privacy is only becoming more and more of a contentious issue as time progresses, and is one that will probably not be going away anytime in the foreseeable future. It will be an issue that Governments the world over will have trouble dealing with for a very long time.
Reuben Franklin
S2754967
REFERENCES:
Thomas R Hintz, 2001, ‘Internet Privacy: Web users unknowingly give personal information to strangers’, Academic Research Library, vol. 8, pp.16-17
Debra A Valentine, 2000, ‘Privacy on the Internet: The Evolving Legal Landscape’, Computer High Technology Law Journal, Vol. 16, pp. 401-417
Dwyer, Hiltz, Passerini, 2007, ‘Trust and Privacy Concern within Social Networking Sites: A comparison of Facebook and Myspace’ New Jersey Institute of Technology, Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) pp. 1-13 <http://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2007/339>
Roger Clarke, 1999, ‘Internet Privacy Concerns Confirm the Case for Intervention’ Communications of the ACM, Vol. 42 no.2, pp. 60-67
Govani, Pashley, 2005, ‘Student Awareness of the Privacy Implications When Using Facebook’, Vol. 2 no. 5, pp. 1-17
Gross, Ralph and Alessandro Acquisti. “Information Revelation and Privacy in Online Social Networks.” WPES ’05 7 November 2005.
Jennifer Lynch, Aug 2010, ‘Government finds uses for social networking sites beyond investigation’, <http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/08/government-finds-uses-social-networking-sites>
Adonis Niko Antonio Ho, Aug 2007, ‘Big Brother is Watching You’
Tom Hodgkinson 2008, ‘Facebook’s Relationship with the CIA’, The Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/14/facebook
