Permission? What is That? Oh Well,
I See You!
“No Twitter, I do not want you to transfer my Gmail contacts. Wait, how do you know who my Gmail contacts are in the first place?” –Me.
Lately I have been noticing these notifications greeting me on Twitter, and I wondered how is it possible for them to know who my contacts were on my Gmail account? Well, I do use my Gmail to log in to my Twitter, so I suppose they are connected, but still that was kind of a creepy notification to find as I opened up my page.
Privacy is not as easy to guard as it was before the internet or mobile phones. The constant need to publicize what we do, where we do it, why we do it, when we do it, who we do it with, and how we do it may bring some unwanted consequences. Today, it is very easy to make all of that content public because of the social networks, but is it safe to put every thought out there? Is it okay to accept every friend request? Or let people follow you? Why would you want a stranger following you?
I think that these social networks have the capability of being used positively. Yet, there are people with over a thousand friends, who I really doubt know every single “friend.” I only accept people I’ve met, and I am constantly deleting people who I do not keep in contact with anymore. On Twitter, I refused to get one, but now that I have one, I still think twice before posting a thought. My Facebook is private, although, I found out my profile picture is not private, anyone can click on it and view it as any of my friends could. It becomes “private” when it’s no longer your profile picture. The Internet world can view all my tweets, because I’m not really being irrational with my thoughts, although, you might think that way. The point is, I am not irresponsible with what I post. I know for a fact employers will look at those networks, so I have to be intelligent to with the things I reveal.
Take a look at this video on social networks. This channel on YouTube has many other videos advocating the realities of privacy in our overly connected world today.
These networks when you sign up for them do not ask much information about you, it’s very easy to sign up. However, once you have one you realize there is a lot of information that ends up being needed to participate in certain applications. The more information one reveals, the less privacy one holds. When you Google your name, what do you find?
Besides the lack of responsibility when using a social network, privacy easily fades every time you sign up for some rewards program. Kroger customers get tracked on what they buy every time they swipe their Kroger card. Those coupons you receive at the check-out or by mail are not convenient every single time just by coincidence. The products that the customers buy are tracked and therefore they send coupons for the same items. Personalized coupons equal more probability the customer will go back to shop there again.
Check out the dad that found out his daughter was pregnant, before she even had the chance to say anything.
If these invasive social networks or large retailers are not enough there is the all encompassing government who keeps you safe while you aren’t watching. Safe? Yes, from terrorist and other threats, but for that they must look at every single possible suspect, and you might be one. The Patriot Act was signed into order in 2001 after the September 11 attacks. The act allows intelligence agencies to look into more detail than ever before citizens who might be infringing the law. To do so they are allowed to wiretap telephone lines, and look into their Internet history.
Recently, I had a rude awakening to the real world without a phone. Two weeks ago I lost my phone, and immediately there after I called my company to suspend services so no one else could use my phone. Even though my phone had every lock possible, I still worried that someone savvy enough could bypass those passwords and see all my open applications and phone number I had that phone. My phone was my life, and these past two weeks I have been checking all my bank accounts and all other networks that I had connected in that phone to make sure no one has accessed to any information that could harm me. Take a look at this video about cell phones.
I hope everyone reading will be more conscious on how they handle new communication technologies, because as much as they can be helpful they can also hurt you if we misuse or misplace them. Also, don’t accept every reward card! Where do you really shop? Stick to what you need the most. Big Brother is always watching, and as technology advances it will be a step ahead of what you even know about yourself. Be aware. Be smart. Log off.
Now I sign off with this appropriate song. "Every Breath You Take" by The Police.
Now I sign off with this appropriate song. "Every Breath You Take" by The Police.
No comments:
Post a Comment