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Positive and negative effects of the internet
Positive effect of the internet on society
Essay on privacy in internet era
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In the United States of America, over 85 percent of people use the internet more than once in a single day (Internet Society). Why is it that this sensation called the internet is becoming such a phenomenon? Simply because all the services that the internet has to offer, but how could this fantastic internet be composed of only positive services? Here’s what is kept in the dark. The internet, also known as cyberspace or interweb, has an impeccable memory. With this said, this means that the internet stores every piece of information ever logged in the depths of the web. The web catches everything that comes in contact with it like a spider’s web, hence the name web. At first thought, this may not seem bad, but this information is permanent and powerful. In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, he clearly portrays a negative reputation to this supreme power. Even in the Orwellian society, the documentation of information is highly maintained: "It was another copy of the photograph . . . which he had chanced upon eleven years ago and promptly destroyed" (Orwell 246-247). When someone deletes an email or document, does it truly go away? The fact that the document or email can be restored must bring some uncertainty into play. Companies, thieves, even the government is taking advantage of this concrete memory of the internet. Because of society's increasing dependency on technology, the internet contains more information that allows the invasion of individuals' privacy to occur, leading the U.S. government closer to an Orwellian society and resulting in higher crime rates and the restriction of freedom. The internet is a useful tool for gathering information and aids in sending messages; however, people’s reliance on the internet causes indi... ... middle of paper ... ...2014. . "Introduction to The Global Impact of Social Media: Current Controversies." The Global Impact of Social Media. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Current Controversies. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. "Invasion of Privacy on the Internet." Britannica Book of the Year, 2001. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. Lane, Carole. "Going Private." PC World Sept. 1998: 114. Global Issues In Context. Web. 4 Mar. 2014. Orwell, George, and Erich Fromm. 1984. New York: Signet Classic, 1961. Print. Swire, Peter P., and Kenesa Ahmad, eds. Privacy and Surveillance with New Technologies. New York: International Debate education Association, 2012. Print.
Communication surveillance has been a controversial issue in the US since the 1920's, when the Supreme Court deemed unwarranted wiretaps legitimate in the case of Olmstead v United States. Since telephone wires ran over public grounds, and the property of Olmstead was not physically violated, the wiretap was upheld as lawful. However, the Supreme Court overturned this ruling in 1967 in the landmark case of Katz v United States. On the basis of the fourth amendment, the court established that individuals have the right to privacy of communication, and that wiretapping is unconstitutional unless it is authorized by a search warrant. [Bowyer, 142-143] Since then, the right to communication privacy has become accepted as an integral facet of the American deontological code of ethics. The FBI has made an at least perfunctory effort to respect the public's demand for Internet privacy with its new Internet surveillance system, Carnivore. However, the current implementation of Carnivore unnecessarily jeopardizes the privacy of innocent individuals.
Taylor, James Stacey. "In Praise of Big Brother: Why We Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love Government Surveillance." Public Affairs Quarterly July 2005: 227-246.
Edward Snowden is America’s most recent controversial figure. People can’t decide if he is their hero or traitor. Nevertheless, his leaks on the U.S. government surveillance program, PRISM, demand an explanation. Many American citizens have been enraged by the thought of the government tracing their telecommunication systems. According to factbrowser.com 54% of internet users would rather have more online privacy, even at the risk of security (Facts Tagged with Privacy). They say it is an infringement on their privacy rights of the constitution. However, some of them don’t mind; they believe it will help thwart the acts of terrorists. Both sides make a good point, but the inevitable future is one where the government is adapting as technology is changing. In order for us to continue living in the new digital decade, we must accept the government’s ability to surveil us.
The internet and all technological advances give us easier communication and increase productivity, however, at what cost? The loss of one's privacy. It is okay only when it is violated for one's own protection. There are different reason, good and bad, for the loss in privacy. In 1984 the characters don't have privacy due to big brother always watching,the NSA does more snooping than securing, social media does more than connect friends, and technological advances make our lives easier.
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.
“Human beings are not meant to lose their anonymity and privacy,” Sarah Chalke. When using the web, web users’ information tend to be easily accessible to government officials or hackers. In Nicholas Carr’s “Tracking Is an Assault on Liberty,” Jim Harpers’ “Web Users Get As Much As They Give,” and Lori Andrews “Facebook is Using You” the topic of internet tracking stirred up many mixed views; however, some form of compromise can be reached on this issue, laws that enforces companies to inform the public on what personal information is being taken, creating advisements on social media about how web users can be more cautious to what kind of information they give out online, enabling your privacy settings and programs, eliminating weblining,
“You have nothing to fear, if you have nothing to hide.” This phrase was first introduced in George Orwell’s novel 1984, where Orwell created a dictatorial government that addressed itself as “Big Brother”, a sort of benevolent nickname for the higher powers that actually watched over it’s citizens obsessively, and managed their behavior like an eye in the sky. The phrase has also been used in British closed-circuit television (otherwise known simply as video surveillance) which was used experimentally during the 1970’s. During that time period, citizens rebelled against the higher-power that had assumed the right to sift through personal information for the sake of monitoring individuals. New-age technology has herded first-world citizens to document their lives for the public, using methods such as “Tweeting”, “Snapchatting”, and
Ever since day one, people have been developing and creating all sorts of new methods and machines to help better everyday life in one way or another. Who can forget the invention of the ever-wondrous telephone? And we can’t forget how innovative and life-changing computers have been. However, while all machines have their positive uses, there can also be many negatives depending on how one uses said machines, wiretapping in on phone conversations, using spyware to quietly survey every keystroke and click one makes, and many other methods of unwanted snooping have arisen. As a result, laws have been made to make sure these negative uses are not taken advantage of by anyone. But because of how often technology changes, how can it be known that the laws made so long ago can still uphold proper justice? With the laws that are in place now, it’s a constant struggle to balance security with privacy. Privacy laws should be revised completely in order to create a better happy medium between security and privacy. A common misconception of most is that a happy medium of privacy and security is impossible to achieve. However, as well-said by Daniel Solove, “Protecting privacy doesn’t need to mean scuttling a security measure. Most people concerned about the privacy implications of government surveillance aren’t arguing for no[sic] surveillance and absolute privacy. They’d be fine giving up some privacy as long as appropriate controls, limitations, oversight and accountability mechanisms were in place.”(“5 Myths about Privacy”)
LeRoux, Yves. "Privacy concerns in the digital world." 03 Oct 2013. Computer Weekly. 24 April 2014 .
The world erupted in outrage following revelations by Edward Snowden regarding the extent of surveillance perform by the National Security Agency. Privacy becomes one of the hottest topic of 2013 and was chosen by the world’s most popular online dictionary, Dictionary.com, as the Word of the Year. However, the government is not the only one that conduct data gathering and surveillance. Employers often monitor their employees, and businesses collect data on theirs customer. The morality of these practices is a topic that generates heated debate.
However, government agencies, especially in America, continue to lobby for increased surveillance capabilities, particularly as technologies change and move in the direction of social media. Communications surveillance has extended to Internet and digital communications. law enforcement agencies, like the NSA, have required internet providers and telecommunications companies to monitor users’ traffic. Many of these activities are performed under ambiguous legal basis and remain unknown to the general public, although the media’s recent preoccupation with these surveillance and privacy issues is a setting a trending agenda.
Powell, Robert. "Four Ways Technology Invades Your Privacy." Lovemoney.com. N.p., 5 Oct. 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Technology has come a long ways from its existence till today. In today’s modern world, people are surrounded by technology everywhere. In the present, people are surrounded by disrupting technologies every day. Today innovators are always creating new technologies that will make an impact on the daily lives of millions. Technology has made the lives of many people easier. The influence of technology has made an impact on social media. Social media has impacted the society in many ways. Whether it is the life of an individual to how successful a company is going to be. Social media is not just about tweeting about what you just accomplished or instagraming what food you are about to eat at a very nice restaurant. The uses of social media is way broader. Now most social media companies are buying out and merging with many other companies that will be off use to them. The people of society has certainly come from a long way. Social media is influencing consumers in what they are going to buy next. Social media is helping businesses to become more aware of their impact they have on they customers. Social media has a big presence for an individual and a business. This research paper is going to be over how social media impacts an individual. Then it is going to be about how much of an impact it has on businesses. Afterwards it is going to go over the pros and the cons of social media in society. Then this research paper is going to conclude on where social media is heading towards in the near future and so on.
Think of a time when people didn’t have technology and how they had to interact, whether it had been from writing letters to using telegraphs, communicating with people was hard to come by back then. Of course times have changed and now technology has made it easier over the years, social media has become an essential part of our life whether it be on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and many other websites. Now days everybody is using it whether its companies using media to promote its products or even teachers to tweet out what last night’s homework was. Social media is a great tool that helps us connect with the world and communicate our ideas. Yet there are some people who believe that social media has a negative impact towards our society as they believe that people can get addicted to it, it causes them to get easily distracted, and many other dangers. Even though people have different opinions on whether social media has a positive or negative impact on society, it can be said that social media has a positive effect on society as a whole because it lets people communicate with each other easily, it has been said to improve education among children, and has helped improve the economy in the world.
Social media is a controversy topic in today’s society. Some people think that social media destroys human interaction and real life human relationships. While others think that social media is a bless to humanity. Social media makes human interaction much more convenient and much faster than real life human interaction, it makes globalization a reality, it gives a chance for introverted people to express themselves, and it also benefit develop international relationships whether its business or social.