Privacy? What Does that meanš¤?
Well I can't say it enough... I prefer my life to be private. However, recently I feel like no matter who I see, what I say, what my political views are, what I search up on social media somehow ends up not being as private as I accepted. The lack of privacy haunts me every day. I have 3 teenage children and my biggest fear is, do my children know who they are interacting with? Can they find out where we live? Who their siblings are? What their parents do for a living (what time are they home and not home throughout the day). Do I know how much private information my children give out on a daily basis? The answer is no, I do not even know how much private information I give out on a daily basis.
I found this webinar very interesting about children's safety https://youtu.be/YtvLG6tzmIQ?t=177. It is important for parents and teachers to teach children about online safety skills. These skills are as important than teaching children about real life safety skills, like crossing the street, not to speak to strangers, how to call 9-1-1, etc.
When I hear the warnings like the one stated in the TIME's article, by Zomorodi, M. (March 29, 17). Internet Privacy: How Much Information Do You Give Away? | Time . They ask me to share my email and birthdate, and to select “Agree.” Well, yes I usually do, because I have been conditioned to believe that I will gain something from the download. So, I understand now that it is not just an agree, they are actually making it difficult for you to decline the invitation by making sure that nothing gets in between you and your download — or them and your personal information.
I was startled to learn How Americans handle privacy policies. Are consumers given any notice about how companies collect and use data, and have they asked for our consent to have our data used for that specific reason. "Fully 97% say they are ever asked to approve privacy policies, yet only one-in-five adults overall say they always (9%) or often (13%) read these policies. Some 38% of U.S. adults maintain they sometimes read such policies, and 36% say they never read a company’s privacy policy before agreeing to it. In all, about four-in-ten adults say they understand privacy policies great deal (8%) or some (33%)." Americans & Privacy. This astonishes me!
- Unfortunately I remain with many unanswered questions!
- Can personal data be used to improve schools?
- Would companies admit to misusing our data?
You asked a lot of important questions, Anna. That is how we start to make change- by educating ourselves and asking questions. Unfortunately we are a society that wants instant gratification so I believe we will continue to say "I agree" without taking deep dives. Maybe the next (few) generations will turn that around.
ReplyDeleteAnna,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post, especially mentioning how your 3 children utilized social media and you have no clue what kind of information they are given out (without even knowing) I am always scared about that factor with my 18 year old sister, she is extremely smart and mature but at the same time very naive when it comes to social media (as I was at her age). I try my best to follow her on every social media she has to keep an eye on her but she somehow always manages to sneak around it! I enjoyed reading your post about the "privacy podcast." My boyfriend is always trying to encouraging me to start listening to more podcasts, especially ones that come to this personal/private information because of all the smart technology I have in our house (Alexa's, Echo's, Ring Doorbell...etc)! Now you gave me a reason to start listening to them!
Hi Anna,
ReplyDeleteI really connected with your blog post, as we have very similar concerns and questions about the lack of privacy there seems to be online. It is one thing to willingly choose to share your information or make a post, but it is disturbing when so much information can be shared about you unwillingly.
At the beginning of your blog post, you shared some questions that you have about your children and their use of online websites and apps. The sad part is that although we can't see everything they do online, we can certainly monitor their devices and as you stated, teach them about internet safety. Someone very close to me had a very negative experience with an app, and it really made me realize how we need to be more proactive in teaching our children and students about making safe choices online.
Until companies are called out, I do not think they will willingly let us know that our privacy has been breached or how they are storing and using our information. Look at Facebook, for example. Even after it was discovered that they were storing our "Off-Facebook Activity," it still took another year to develop the "Clear History" option, which still really has not addressed and fixed the problem.
I look forward to reading more of your blog posts!
- Mrs. Velde
You can read this article for more information:https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nicolenguyen/off-facebook-activity-feature-clear-history?utm_source=like2buy.curalate.com&crl8_id=ecb7bb2c-2eef-40a6-9e09-85dd0fa6d286
Hi Anna,
ReplyDeleteIt' amazing that so many people agree to these apps without reading all the fine print. The statistics you mentioned blew my mind. I also listened to some of the podcasts and found myself wondering to how many things I have agreed without reading the entire terms of agreement. One particular thing that you mentioned is that we are all "conditioned" to do certain things. I agree with you on that excellent point. Most people tend to just say yes to many things without questioning them. We are "conditioned' to keep up with technology. We could always say no but that will leaves back in so many ways. I guess we can only take ownership of the apps we download. We need to be responsible and try to read all of the terms from big companies. I hope I have the time to read all of that. Great Post!