Privacy: The Issues with Modern Technology

Flock cameras are being banned and covered across the US, after being missused by authorities.

What was originally going to be used to help keep people safe, is not being used against the people. Devices have taken a turn for the worse, first with smaller license plate reading cameras, now moving to Flock Cameras at every corner in the city. 

Flock Camera

These cameras are allowing for police departments to not only gain all of the information, but hold onto it and create databases from it. Instead of keeping this information for short periods of time and using it to find people who have done wrong, they keep it without telling the general public.

License plate readers can track where these cars are going, including personal information like doctor’s appointments, religious events, and even someone who is looking to get help while struggling with addiction. 

Along with this, police forces have been known to use other tactics in acquiring people’s personal information. Through cell tower dumps and the use of a device called a stingray, law enforcement is able to get private information off of people’s phones, without needing probable cause.

Database full of private information

Looking at Facebook’s Invasion of Privacy as a Business Model, it is clear that many online companies have been using their clients' private information to get the upper hand. In this, these big companies have all of the power, while the users have little to no say with what happens to their information, and where it goes once it is posted. 

This information is stuck on the internet forever, much like tattoos. There is no true way to remove this information, therefore the government has access to this data, even if there was no knowledge of this getting to them. 

Face.com logo

With the increasing facial recognition, names of people can get matched to their profile just by a quick scan. Without getting consent, these organizations can compile information about an individual, and send it out to private companies. Websites like Face.com have over 18 million faces in their databases that have been collected over time. 

The digital footprint left behind by each person will supersede their own lifetime. There is no way to keep this information totally private anymore, never allowing people to live life without interference from the local and federal government. 

There needs to be a stop to this advancing technology that is tracking the human race and their every move. The banning of Flock cameras is definitely a start, but there is a long way to go. Before giving any site your information, think about where it could be going, and how that could impact you in the future. 

AI Disclosure: AI was not used for this assignment.