Privacy is a concern for most people living in America. Although it is not explicitly stated in the Constitution, the right to privacy is acknowledged through several amendments such as the First Amendment (which protects the privacy of religion and speech) and the Fourth Amendment (which protects the privacy of people from unreasonable searches). The current shift to the digital age has forced people to watch their digital footprints in order to protect themselves from prying eyes. With the advancement of the digital age, the concern for privacy is needed now more than ever to protect a basic human right. In recent times, it has become commonplace for government agencies to keep citizens under surveillance for the purpose of collecting and
…show more content…
Private companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook run on a business model that collects and sells consumers’ searches and emails to ad companies. If consumers regularly use sites like Facebook, “these sites are tracking and retaining everything [they’re] doing on their sites and on any other sites that host their scripts and widgets” (Auerbach 30). Some argue that the privacy policies of such companies protect the privacy of its users; however, privacy policies only give a false sense of security. For instance, “in great enough quantities, collection and aggregation of nonconfidential information can violate privacy just as much as the disclosure of confidential information does” (Auerbach 33). Consumers are then forced to micromanage their privacy settings in order to reduce the amount of information that is shared with the company. In spite of the efforts to protect their privacy, big name companies like Facebook continue to monitor the online activity of users through various …show more content…
Privacy should not have to be sacrificed for security. The solution is not to part from digital technology cold turkey, it is to be more aware of where the data is going and how much individuals should share on the Internet. The digital revolution has brought many conveniences, but it has also created many threats to people’s privacy. New laws are being enacted for the purpose of protecting and regulating privacy from the threats of the new technology. The Constitution may not state it directly, but privacy is, by its own nature, a fundamental human
Private companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook run on a business model that collects and sells consumers’ searches and emails to ad companies. If consumers regularly use sites like Facebook, “these sites are tracking and retaining everything [they’re] doing on their sites and on any other sites that host their scripts and widgets” (Auerbach 30). Some argue that the privacy policies of such companies protect the privacy of its users; however, privacy policies only give a false sense of security. For instance, “in great enough quantities, collection and aggregation of nonconfidential information can violate privacy just as much as the disclosure of confidential information does” (Auerbach 33). Consumers are then forced to micromanage their privacy settings in order to reduce the amount of information that is shared with the company. In spite of the efforts to protect their privacy, big name companies like Facebook continue to monitor the online activity of users through various …show more content…
Privacy should not have to be sacrificed for security. The solution is not to part from digital technology cold turkey, it is to be more aware of where the data is going and how much individuals should share on the Internet. The digital revolution has brought many conveniences, but it has also created many threats to people’s privacy. New laws are being enacted for the purpose of protecting and regulating privacy from the threats of the new technology. The Constitution may not state it directly, but privacy is, by its own nature, a fundamental human