Technology is the future of the United States of America. It has developed greatly over the past couple of decades. Newer generations will not be able to recall a time without technology. However, is technology really that safe?
The government seems to be always listening in. They have access to phone calls and technology like Alexas and Google Homes. This makes me wonder if the book 1984 is becoming real life. For those that don't know, 1984 is a book written about corruption and it takes place in the future (it was
written in 1949). In the book, there is no privacy because the government or Big Brother has cameras everywhere and you get tortured or killed if you question the ways of the government. This gives Big Brother complete control over the people. Sadly, the government today in the United States is not far off from Big Brother.
For example, the government has
surveillance equipment that watches people to gather information. There are no longer closed doors because the government allows no privacy. The surveillance technology can include cameras that take pictures of
license plates and it gives the government access to mass data of where everyone has gone. The government can also use
cell towers to get the location of people even if they are safely in their homes. It is terrifying knowing that the government can see where we have been at any time. If someone hacked into the system they could easily stalk someone and be a potential threat. Understandably, the government wants to use it to catch criminals but that doesn't mean that the privacy and safety of everyone should be at risk.
Telephones are wired for surveillance because of the
government. This allows the government to listen in on any phone call that you have. So every "private" phone call you have is not actually private. It would be reasonable to think that this goes against our constitutional rights but apparently it's allowed because it is happening.
Apple is a good advocate for privacy because the company refused to give the government access to the apps that Apple provides. This means that facetime calls and Imessages are private. The thought of the government having access to those apps is scary because they could know every little thing about us. Texts reveal a lot about a person and it would be terrible to have our private information released to the government or even worse, hackers.
The government and businesses also have access to social media. It is important to not post anything regrettable because it does not go away even after it is deleted. Social media apps store information and anything posted can easily be accessed again. Apps like Facebook even make money by selling information about their users.
Enriquez refers to posting on social media as a "digital tattoo." He refers to them like this because even if you post something you regret it will be stuck with you forever. It is extremely important to have a good digital footprint or it can affect your future. Employers can look up names and gather information about people without even meeting them in person.
Chisolm provides another example that the digital world can be dangerous. She talks about the topic of revenge porn. Revenge porn is where typically an ex-lover posts explicit photos or videos of someone without their consent.
Chisolm had a personal experience where an ex-boyfriend created a whole website with her name on it of naked pictures of her that he took while she was sleeping. These photos online can be humiliating and ruin someone's reputation. Just by a click of a button, your life can be ruined if someone wants revenge. This is a form of domestic violence, but instead of physical it's technological. Everything is moving toward technology. Even bullying has grown to be online and the repercussions can be detrimental. Many people make comments online without acknowledging that there is a person on the other side of the screen.
It seems to be that no one is safe in the digital world.
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