Let's Talks About Privacy

   Today, I watched a variety of different TED Talks, all concerning the same thing...PRIVACY! Particularly privacy online. Each TED Talk had an expert talk about a different aspect of privacy online. For example, Juan Enriquez talked about the "digital Tattoo," which is really just another name for the digital footprint. He, in particular, focuses on facial recognition and how to minimize your Digital Tattoo. Something that was deeply disturbing to me was the fact that there are organizations and companies dedicated to facial recognition that you can go to and get basically someone's entire life sent to you. This includes Personal interests, Likes, dislikes, relationships, and even credit card information. With this kind of information, any neerdowell can easily steal your identity, or if they happen to be a store/business, they can send an agent to sell you exactly what you did not know you were looking for.

    Another TED Talk I had the pleasure of viewing was one by Christopher Soghoian. He focused on the everyday description of many communication devices and the brief history of wiretapping. For example,

did you know that back when phones were being operated by phone operators, the government regularly tapped into and listened to what you were saying to your neighbor? Once the mobile phone made it big and became very popular, phone companies began encrypting all the data that went through their products; in particular, apple is infamous for doing so. They claim they don't even have access to your data them selfs. This, of course, has put them at blows with the United States Government, which, so so desperately wants access to what you are saying. I personally support Apple in this field because I do not like the government.

    Lastly, the one I watched last was one by the one Darieth Chisolm. She was a victim of a stalker who posted revenge porn of her. Revenge porn is the act of unconsensually posting lewd and inappropriate photos of another in the hopes of getting back at them. This maniac harassed Mrs. Chisolm and then eventually posted the photos online in her name. He even called her now ex-husband to humiliate her. There is no real law in the United States to help victims of this kinda of crime. Luckily, she brought enough awareness to her suffering and exposed herself even more to legal authorities, who completely combed through her computer to find everything that could be found for forensic purposes. In the end, this sicko got arrested in Jamaica, and they even created a new law in that country as a result.

    What I took from all these TED talks was that information that you share online can be used and abused in many different ways. For example, I only heard the term Revenge Porn a few times but never knew the true extent of it. I learned much more about our digital footprints and much more.