Additional comments on Internet privacy
I’m quoted in USA Today’s article on online privacy, which was a fun experience talking with the reporter about generational differences in how the topic is perceived, but there’s a few things I’d like to expand upon.
First and foremost, the idea of privacy on the Internet seems to be more of an illusion or misunderstanding. As I found out while reporting on an incident of a student who was arrested after campus police Facebooked him, law enforcement considers what you do on social networks to be a public forum. While this might seem obvious to some, it’s an idea that’s relatively new to others. While you might be “privately” sharing your photos or notes with friends, the network itself is still considered public. There’s a lack of a gray area protecting users in what they might believe to be “private” forums. There’s no such thing — yet — as “semi-public/private” places on the Internet, nor much legal protection for you.
I’m sure most of us understand the consequences socially when looking for employment of posting items online. That topic’s been beaten to death. But from a legal perspective, I’m not sure that nearly as many people contemplate or understand civil and criminal law regarding the Internet while using social networks. To some degree, I believe the Internet creates an instant-reaction culture where we react instinctively to things that momentarily fill us with passion.
What we might not realize is the permanent record we draft while we’re texting status updates, uploading photos, recording videos, etc. and how that very aspect of information sharing is basically viewed as evidence. While a verbal threat made at a schoolyard might never be acted upon by school administrators, a MySpace posting of the same nature might land someone in hot water. While the action is still the same and just as public, I’d say they don’t carry the similar legal heft.
Compounding this issue is that the primary users of social networks tend to be younger, therefore less educated, people who are less likely to be familiar with these ramifications. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that as new generations grow up with the Internet as a staple of their lives, privacy issues will have to be discussed at a younger age. And this leads me to my second point: privacy education needs to become a national focus.
I don’t want to be perceived as an alarmist, preaching some impending doom or conspiracy, but I do think that there needs to be a collective awareness of where our data is going, who’s archiving it, how secure it is, when it’s accessed and what our rights are concerning it.
Admit it, you’ve never really read an EULA or Terms of Service in its entirety, have you? If you’re like me you probably just clicked “Agree” and moved on. And yet as a society we’re becoming more and more dependent on the Internet as a utility for our lives without giving much thought to fundamental questions of privacy.
It’s been said by others before that the Big Brother envisioned in “1984″ will never happen now. After all, how could they have imagined that we’d volunteer so much information willingly to Internet startups? Again, our instant-reaction culture has us signing up for new services and not fully considering privacy issues. While we’d be violently opposed to any such Big Brother monitoring, we’ve managed to feel comfortable with self exposure. It’s interesting how we can be uncomfortable with the government having access to our library card information, but we’re perfectly OK with Amazon.com recommending books for us to purchase.
And this is why I think we need privacy education and awareness. While I’m actually OK with giving corporations and companies personal information while using their services and products, I — and every other user and consumer — should demand and receive equal openness from them. An educated public will want to know who’s looking at their digital footprints and decide if that’s an acceptable tradeoff for what they’re receiving in return.
When people are educated, they’re comfortable and more willing to help build a community. Or, they can act as watchdogs against unpopular ideas and force a company to change. Either way, as we migrate more of our shared experiences to the Internet, which I don’t believe can be reversed, we have to start giving a damn about educating the public at large about privacy. Otherwise, I worry that an apathetic and uneducated public on such a rapidly developing industry will have settled for compromises they didn’t even know they made.
With that all said, it may seem odd that I’m on several social networks or believe in having an active presence online. For me, the benefits are significant. I’m more connected to friends. I feel more informed. I like the interactivity. It’s a venue for creativity. These are reasons enough to push aside the greater concerns I have about privacy issues and continue being connected.
I don’t think we should fear corporations or social networks. We ought to do the opposite: become involved and help them evolve into something that benefits us. I approach privacy issues with a sense of optimism. I think that Google really can “do no evil” with the personal data it’s obviously archiving from my Gmail account and search results. Instead, I believe it’ll help them create more free products to help me enjoy the Internet more.
Rather than fear the Internet, we should realize that we now have the chance to mold its direction. There’s an opportunity to create utilities that helps us interact in more meaningful ways than ever before. I don’t see how this is a bad thing. Worrying too much about privacy to the point of refusing to participate seems almost silly. Why miss out on the largest social experiment ever performed?
So, if you care about privacy on the Internet, educate yourself, act appropriately and become a part of the solution.
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