With the investigation of the PRISM spy program and the search to understand how it effects us in full swing, we should slow down and figure out what privacy means for each of us and what value we place on it in our daily lives. There are two really big areas that we want or expect privacy in: our own homes, and the internet. On the internet, most people believe that there should be privacy because the internet is very anonymous by nature. However the reality is that we put so much personally identifiable information on the internet, any sense of anonymity is negated. Now when a program such as PRISM is brought to our collective attention, there is understandable outrage. My own opinion is that people are more angry at the idea of internet surveillance in general than the actual activities that PRISM conducted. Even polls conducted by the Pew Research Center have shown that 45 percent think the government should be able to "monitor everyone's e-mail and other online activities if officials say this might prevent future terrorist attacks," while 52 percent said they were against this practice. I would think that if this program was really a problem for Americans, then the numbers would show a far more convincing picture.
It seems Britain is ahead of us in terms of grappling with the privacy vs. surveillance dilemma, although in a slightly different context. Britain has more private surveillance cameras per capita than any other country in the world, in the interest of deterring crime, of course. Now that surveillance is so widespread in Britain, it has found a recreational use; spying on neighbors. There is even talk of enacting laws that would serve to curb this practice because of the high value placed on the privacy of a person's own home. It's extraordinary how some people can become sensitive about privacy in one area of their lives (their four walls) and be entirely insensitive about it elsewhere (the Internet). What do you think of privacy in your life? Do you feel that you have a high degree of privacy in your home or on the internet?
This a great post. I cannot agree more with your points. I especially enjoyed the research from Pew Research Center showing such an even break in percentage from government monitoring. People do need to realize how public everything actually is on the internet. Using Britain as an example on how good we have it through security within our homes is also a great example. Excellent write up!
ReplyDeleteI believe it depends on how much information we throw out there on the internet. I believe, it is the internet where people are stripped of their private life. Internet may seem like te most private medium but it is the opposite. Any website the user visits can be easily tracked down by the ISP provider let alone a sophisticated tool as PRISM. In my opinion it is vital to have virtual surveillance like PRISM due to potential terrorist risks and threats. There is no better way to monitor ones activity.
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