Blog Post #5: Privacy in the Digital Age: Balancing Innovation and Personal Freedom

Prior to watching the TED Talks posted for this weeks post, I mainly though privacy concerns involved social media companies collecting our data, and advertisers tracking our online behavior. However, the TED Talks by Nita Farahany, Cathrine Crump, Christopher Soghoian, and Juan Enriquez made me understand that privacy violations can be much broader than only social media activity. All of these TED Talks are aimed at drawing public attention to the dangers associated with violations of our privacy, which occur as a result of government policies, corporate actions and even our own use of the internet. 

One of the most eye opening talks was Nita Farahany's discussion on brain privacy. She explains that advances in neuroscience and artificial intelligence are making it possible to collect information directly

from the human brain using devices like EEG headsets.  Although the ability to use this technology can be useful for people as it helps them to monitor their state of heath and provides additional services, such as communication between disabled people or assistance with certain daily tasks. But, Farahany warns that they also create the possibility of governments, employers, or corporations gaining access to our thoughts, emotions and mental states. She argues that society may need a new right called "cognitive liberty" to protect our individual freedom of though and mental privacy. What disturbed me most was her warning that we may willingly give up access to our brain data in exchange for convenience, discounts, or workplace benefits. The idea that technology could someday reveal what we think before we choose to share it feels like a direct threat to personal freedom. 

Catherine Crump's TED Talk focused on another side of the privacy debate: government surveillance. Prior to watching her presentation, I had no idea of the amount of location data that is collected through technologies. Crump states that systems like Automatic License Plate Readers as well as other types of systems are recording the movements of ordinary people like myself, often storing information about where we drive, when we travel, and who we might be with. Crump points out that this type of information is extremely personal, and can reveal things about our every day lives. What makes this especially alarming is that much of this data is collected from people who have done nothing wrong to provoke this type of surveillance. Her presentation made me realize how easily our phones can turn every day activities into a permanent record that can be stored and analyzed for years. 

The TED Talk by Juan Enriquez approached privacy from a different perspective. Rather than focusing on government monitoring, he discussed how our own online behavior creates what he calls a "digital tattoo." Unlike a temporary mistake that might once have been forgotten, comments, photos, videos and social media posts can remain online forever. Enriquez argues that many people, especially younger generations, do not fully understand the long term consequences of what they post online. His message made me think about how quickly a single post can shape someone's reputation. Even if society becomes more accepting over time, digital content can spread far beyond its original audience and remain accessible for years.

Finally, Christopher Soghoian's TED Talk highlighted the importance of encryption and secure communication. He explains that modern communication networks are built with surveillance abilities in mind and argues that strong encryption is very important for protecting ordinary people from governments, hackers, criminals, ETC. One of the more intriguing points he makes is that there is no such thing as a "terrorist phone" or a "criminal laptop." The same exact technologies used by ordinary people are still used by everyone else including criminals, also making it clear that weaknesses built into communication systems can affect everyone. His presentation strengthened the idea that privacy and security are close knit. 

These issues affect me, my family and my friends because we rely on technology every day. We communicate daily through text messages, social media, navigate with GPS, shop online, and store personal information such as health data digitally. Most of all, we don't even stop to think about where any of this information is going and who may have access to it. The TED Talks made me realize that privacy is no longer just about protecting our personal information. It is also about protecting our movements, our communications, our reputations and potentially our thoughts. 

I believe our government should establish stronger privacy protection that keep up with the technological advancements. Companies should be required to clearly state and explain how they collect and use our data, as well as we should have more control over our personal information. At the same time, law enforcement and government agencies should be required to prevent the misuse of surveillance technologies. New types of technology shouldn't just be accepted just because they are available, society as a whole should consider how the misuse of technology affects individual rights and freedoms. 

There are also steps we can take ourselves. We can use stronger passwords, enable two factor authentications, review privacy settings, think carefully before posting online, and take advantage of encrypted communication tools. Most importantly, we need to stay informed. Privacy is no longer something that can be taken for granted in the digital age. 

After watching these TED Talks, I came away with a new understand of how fragile privacy has become. Whether it is governments tracking our movements, companies collecting our data, social media preserving our mistakes, or technology that may someday decode our thoughts, the threats to privacy are growing. The challenge for our generation will be finding a way to embrace technological innovation while protecting the freedoms and personal autonomy that makes privacy worth defending in the first place.