Impact of Digital Technology on an Privacy
Digital technology has been revolutionizing the world step by step over the past couple of years. The manner in which people interact, communicate and carry out their daily activities has been the highest priority of technological inventions. The internet, for example has caused major changes to the lives of individuals, corporations and the whole world as a whole. There is however some rising concerns over the effects of digital technology on contemporary culture. Today, people have turned out to be more information oriented than before. Exploring deeper and exposing personal information has not only become an obsession, but also a requirement in some quarters. Privacy is therefore one of the main aspects that digital technology has greatly affected in today’s information-oriented society.
Privacy is one thing that has significantly gotten affected by the digital technology. The ability of individuals to reveal most of their personal information in a single page has great effects to their privacy and that of others (Hand 4). Firstly, by having exposed information, which is available for the world to see, there are increased chances of getting tracked and getting hurt. Taking an example of the social sites like MySpace, the ability of an individual to post information related to their personal lives may subject one to potential harms. In addition, it makes the person in question feel exposed to some uncertainties.
Monitoring devices like the chips, whose popularity has risen equally with contentions, can be categorized under privacy-breaching gadgets. The storage of personal information in an-online connected database increases the potential harm of the person using an implant. The chi...
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...nts and other officials, about the safety of their children and other employees.
In conclusion, digital technology has revolutionized the information-oriented society by enhancing several aspects. From security to enhanced interconnections, the new wave has managed to change the manner in which people communicate and also the way in which corporate information and property is protected. Despite the misgivings, digital technology has managed to positively influence the society, the contemporary culture and changed the hitherto employed analogue models of social integration.
Works Cited
Hand, Martin. Making Digital Cultures: Access, Interactivity, and Authenticity. Hampshire, UK: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2008. Print.
Lewan, Todd. Chips: High Tech Aids or Tracking Tools? n.p, 2007. Web. 29 May 2011.
Long, Cindy. I Need Myspace! n.p, 2007. Web. 29 May 2011.
Secretary- “It’s all right. This process has been done over a thousand times by Dr. Anderson. You have nothing to worry about. It might be a new microchip but it’s the same as it was with all the other microchips. You’ll be in good hands.”
What is this world coming to? When most of us think of tracking devices they think of primarily negative issues. But that has all changed now. A tracking device the size of a tic tack that can be surgically implanted to provide a tamper proof means of identification, enhanced e-business security, locating lost or missing individuals, monitoring heart rate, vital signs, tracking of the elderly, the location of valuable property, and monitoring the medical conditions of at risk patients, all at the convenience of a button or a phone call (www.allnet). It is called the GPM or as we know it the Global Positioning Microchip. Today I will discuss the ideals of the implanted microchip and some of the technical, social, economic, ethical and practical implications of its technology. Furthermore exploring some of the benefits and dangers of such a device. Invented entirely for animals man has expanded its uses to stolen cars tracking devices, criminal rehabilitations, and experimental animal observations. The chip has come a long way but where will it go from here.
The personal connection Americans have with their phones, tablets, and computers; and the rising popularity of online shopping and social websites due to the massive influence the social media has on Americans, it is clear why this generation is called the Information Age, also known as Digital Age. With the Internet being a huge part of our lives, more and more personal data is being made available, because of our ever-increasing dependence and use of the Internet on our phones, tablets, and computers. Some corporations such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook; governments, and other third parties have been tracking our internet use and acquiring data in order to provide personalized services and advertisements for consumers. Many American such as Nicholas Carr who wrote the article “Tracking Is an Assault on Liberty, With Real Dangers,” Anil Dagar who wrote the article “Internet, Economy and Privacy,” and Grace Nasri who wrote the article “Why Consumers are Increasingly Willing to Trade Data for Personalization,” believe that the continuing loss of personal privacy may lead us as a society to devalue the concept of privacy and see privacy as outdated and unimportant. Privacy is dead and corporations, governments, and third parties murdered it for their personal gain not for the interest of the public as they claim. There are more disadvantages than advantages on letting corporations, governments, and third parties track and acquire data to personalized services and advertisements for us.
Computers, tablets, cellphones and all modern tenchnology has decrease our expectations of privacy in this digital age. People don't care anyone for their privacy, they only want the benefits that modern technology has brought to them. In the essay, “Privacy is Overrated” by David Plotz (2003), argues that it is sometimes good to be open and not be bother by privacy. In Jack Shafer's (2010) essay, “The Invasion of the Cookie Monster” he argues that we are the ones to be blame for the lost of our online privacy. The didgital age has created an extremely big problem of privacy for people.
While much research into the specific causes and effects of different applications, sites, and devices is still needed there is sufficient evidence to support the research and weigh the consequences of the effect of technology on privacy. The issue of privacy walks a fine line between having freedoms and losing freedoms. “Siitis’s most crucial insight is that privacy can both support and undermine democracy.” (Morozov 2013) The focus for further development and research would be a probe into the personal desires of people to maintain their privacy and the consequences for those who did not.
Different people, cultures, and nations have a wide variety of expectations about how much privacy is entitled to or what constitutes an invasion of privacy. Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information. Personal privacy has been declining in the past year which is caused by today’s technological society. With the latest technology such as face scanners, data collecting, and highly advanced software’s, privacy can be compromised, which is exactly what is being done today and it is unconstitutionally intrusive.
The placement of implantable chips into patients for the purpose of accurately identifying patients and properly storing their medical history records has become a subject of a strong debate. Making sure patients are properly identified before a procedure and storing their health history records for future use has been difficult, if not impossible. The idea of being able to retrieve accurate patient’s medical history for a follow up care without relying on patient’s memory is a challenging task for many healthcare organizations. Many ideas and technologies have been introduced over the years to help solve this problem, but unfortunately the problem is still not fully resolved. There are still many errors in the healthcare due in part by improper record keeping and inaccurate patient identification. One idea that has being in discussion to eliminate these problems for good, is the introduction of a chip or radio frequency identification (RFID) technology implanted into human for the purpose storing medical data and accurately identify patients. VeriChip Corporation is currently the maker of this implantable RFID chip. They are the only corporation cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make this implantable radio frequency transponder system for humans for the purpose of identifying patients and storing their health history information. The chip was first developed for the use of radar systems by Scottish physicist, Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt in 1935 just before World War II. (Roberti, 2007). This technology helps identify approaching planes of the enemy from mile away. Today, RFID has several uses. It is used for animal tracking. It is attached to merchandise in stores to prevent theft. It can be instal...
LeRoux, Yves. "Privacy concerns in the digital world." 03 Oct 2013. Computer Weekly. 24 April 2014 .
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