Fig 1. The Internet (2014)
Online privacy
and what we are entitled to is an on-going issue. Many feel we should have
more entitlement when it comes to our online data whilst others
say that we should have no rights, as we should be aware of the risks that come
with posting private information online. "Privacy is not an absolute
right” according to GCHQ chief Robert Hannigan.
Last month it was reported that a Russian run website was offering live streams of
British households, "the danger of using weak passwords has been
exposed again" (Rice, 2014), the website hacked into over 500 webcams
across Britain by guessing weak passwords. Our right to privacy is only as
strong as a hacker's determination to break
through security protocols put in place.
Another
controversial incident that happened in October 2014 was the hacking of
celebrities' private photos; these photos were distributed online for the public
to view. One celebrity involved was Jennifer Lawrence; in a statement
released she states, “just because I’m a public figure, just because I’m an
actress, does not mean that I asked for this” (Lawrence, 2014). Many feel that because celebrities are in the public eye they do not deserve privacy, "celebrities can't expect to be able to pick and choose when they want attention" (debate.org, 2014). Little sympathy was given to
Lawrence on the leak of her private photos, thousands users shared them round on Facebook and retweeted them on Twitter.
In regards to the incident Jim Norton states "it has pitted our feeling of overwhelming entitlement to other people’s private information in direct contrast with our mortal terror that any of our own private information may somehow be made public." (Norton, 2014). Most are happy to participate or revel in others misfortune however if a privacy breach ever affected them directly it would be a different story.
In regards to the incident Jim Norton states "it has pitted our feeling of overwhelming entitlement to other people’s private information in direct contrast with our mortal terror that any of our own private information may somehow be made public." (Norton, 2014). Most are happy to participate or revel in others misfortune however if a privacy breach ever affected them directly it would be a different story.
Fig 2. Cory Doctorow [Youtube Video]
(2012)
In 2012 Cory
Doctorow, a Canadian journalist and author, gave an insightful talk about
privacy online. He talks about 'the privacy bargain’, this refers to the deal
users make with the social networking sites they use; generally the deal
involves handing over personal data in return for a free service. For example,
Facebook users are only able to make an account if they submit their name, date
of birth and email address and most people hand over this information without a
blink of an eye. Doctorow says that users undervalue their personal
data, “it’s hard to get worked up about things where the failure and the
deed are separated by a long way” (Doctorow, 2012), users find it difficult to
assign a value to personal data, therefore they don't think deeply about the
implications of handing over personal information.
R.B Sparkman
claims that intermittent reinforcement motivates human behavior on
social networking sites, "in exchange for posting status updates, photos
and other information, Facebook users are intermittently rewarded with
attention from people they care about." (imperva.com, 2014).
Whilst
researching I came across a few interesting statistics, A report by the
American Life Project found that "91% of 12 - 17 year olds are happy to
post photos of themselves, 91% their real name, 82% their birthday, 71% the
town they live in and school they attend, 20% their mobile number'. (Fishwick
and Freeman, 2013) This raises the question, are social networking sites and
general society doing enough to teach privacy safety to the modern generation?
Figure 1, 'The Internet' (2014) [picture of the internets structure] At: http://blogs-images.forbes.com/jacobmorgan/files/2014/05/internet-of-things-2.jpg [Accessed 1 Dec. 2014]
Figure 2, Big Tent, 2012. Cory Doctorow Keynote. [Online]. [Accessed 1 Dec. 2014] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xtsyH4i2Qk
Norton, J. (2014). We're All Hypocrites About Online Privacy. [online] TIME.com. Available at: http://time.com/3319605/online-privacy-hypocrisy/ [Accessed 1 Dec. 2014]
Lawrence, J. (2014). Cover Preview: Jennifer Lawrence Calls Photo Hacking a “Sex Crime”. [online] Vanity Fair. Available at: http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/10/jennifer-lawrence-cover [Accessed 1 Dec. 2014]
Fishwick, C. and Freeman, H. (2013). What teenagers think about Facebook's new privacy controls. [online] the Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/oct/25/what-teenagers-think-about-facebooks-new-privacy-controls [Accessed 1 Dec. 2014]
Debate.org, (2014). Do celebrities have a right to privacy?. [online] Available at: http://www.debate.org/opinions/do-celebrities-have-a-right-to-privacy?nsort=1&ysort=5 [Accessed 8 Dec. 2014].
Rice, S in Neal, D and Moore-Colyer, R (2014). Russian webcam spy site shut down: 'I don't want to be a bad guy', says owner. [online] V3.co.uk. Available at: http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2382511/russians-hacking-into-webcams-showing-live-footage-from-uk-offices-shops-and-baby-monitors [Accessed 1 Dec. 2014].
Sparkman, R. B. (1979). The Art of Manipulation. Doubleday Publishing.
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