The 21st century is often referred to as the era of information. This is due to the radical amount of social networking that takes place on a day to day basis. This includes everything from Facebooking your close friends to googling answers for that last minute history assignment. Information is constantly being streamed onto the internet and it only takes a matter of seconds to go viral. The question is then raised, are privacy rights being violated and if so who is to blame? To answer this question the reader will be comparing a number of articles each providing different perspectives on the issue at hand. In the end we will be able to make a thorough conclusion as to whether the internet is innocent or guilty of violating privacy laws.
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To support this we look at Nicholas Thompson’s article “Bigger Brother: The Exponential Law of Privacy Loss.” Thompson argues that the internet is designed to collect information from people therefore, even with privacy laws in place, owners of sites will continue to find creative ways to socially connect people (Thompson 284). He continues by referencing software designed by carrier IQ that is specifically created to track searches, locations, and purchases. Thompson states that the purpose of this software is to better enhance the network as well as peoples average everyday lives (285). Nicholas later goes into detail explaining the exponential law of privacy loss. This law states that the more time we spend online using social media the easier it is for companies to track us and learn how to accurately enhance our online experience (285). Overall this law seems relatively accurate. If we want to have the best possible experience online than companies need to understand our likes and dislikes, and have the ability to respond accordingly. Another subject of debate is Facebook. Many people argue that Facebook continues to break privacy laws and as a result damages lives. Yet Thompson believes differently, “People keep letting Facebook broadcast more of their preferences and habits, and they love it.” Another article titled, “Our Community to the Facebook Community,” by Mark Zuckerberg is a response to claims stating that Facebook breaks privacy laws. Mark argues that the sole purpose of Facebook is to connect and share information. He goes on to talk about how he has made it safe and comfortable for users to share information and that the key to his success was simply control (Zuckerberg 300). To ensure that privacy is their number one concern Facebook enforces tens of billions of privacy checks each day and continues to update their resources for better results (301). Mark states that even if
To support this we look at Nicholas Thompson’s article “Bigger Brother: The Exponential Law of Privacy Loss.” Thompson argues that the internet is designed to collect information from people therefore, even with privacy laws in place, owners of sites will continue to find creative ways to socially connect people (Thompson 284). He continues by referencing software designed by carrier IQ that is specifically created to track searches, locations, and purchases. Thompson states that the purpose of this software is to better enhance the network as well as peoples average everyday lives (285). Nicholas later goes into detail explaining the exponential law of privacy loss. This law states that the more time we spend online using social media the easier it is for companies to track us and learn how to accurately enhance our online experience (285). Overall this law seems relatively accurate. If we want to have the best possible experience online than companies need to understand our likes and dislikes, and have the ability to respond accordingly. Another subject of debate is Facebook. Many people argue that Facebook continues to break privacy laws and as a result damages lives. Yet Thompson believes differently, “People keep letting Facebook broadcast more of their preferences and habits, and they love it.” Another article titled, “Our Community to the Facebook Community,” by Mark Zuckerberg is a response to claims stating that Facebook breaks privacy laws. Mark argues that the sole purpose of Facebook is to connect and share information. He goes on to talk about how he has made it safe and comfortable for users to share information and that the key to his success was simply control (Zuckerberg 300). To ensure that privacy is their number one concern Facebook enforces tens of billions of privacy checks each day and continues to update their resources for better results (301). Mark states that even if