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Impact of technology in today's life
Impact of technology in today's life
Cell phones changing society socially
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Marella Sanchez P.3 The Surveillance and Technological Dilemma The inevitable truth about our technological advances has become an ongoing controversial dilemma. It begs to question whether or not our technology is taking us closer to the world of Big Brother. It even subjects us to address all the pros and cons this said technology, as a whole, has to offer. These days when people talk to each other, some no longer share eye contact because they are too busy on social media, texting, checking emails, looking for the next big thing, and so forth. Many people are blinded by the fancy & entertaining applications, availability of gps, and most importantly, being able to surf the web at the palm of their hands, but little do they know that those …show more content…
That’s My Tracker.”, written by Peter Maass and Megha Rajagopalan, indicates that the, “...tracking device that happens to make calls...” are exploiting our identities far more than we know (Maass and Rajagopalan,P.129). It was shared that cellphone carriers disclosed and “...responded 1.3 million times last year to law enforcement requests for call data...” without warrants (Maass and Rajagopalan,P.129). These reporters enlighten that all the “explosion of GPS technology and smartphone apps...” as well as “...frictionless sharing...”or “...surveillance has caught our attention so much so that it blinded us from the ugly truth (Maass and Rajagopalan,P.129). In actuality, modern technology such as cellphones and surveillance cameras allow the government to know of it 's citizens location, conversations, and actions—“...treasured by police departments and online advertisers...”(Maass and Rajagopalan,P.130). The mania of technology and “...these invasive services have proved irresistible to consumers…” writes Paul Ohm (Maass and Rajagopalan,P.129). He states that the overly advertised technology is like a magnet to consumers because it continues to be bought and sold regardless of the facts …show more content…
The best sum up of 1984 and the future of technology is that “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever..."(Orwell,P.267). These ominous and foreshadowing words are spoken by O 'Brien to Winston during their conversion in the Ministry of Love. Demonstrating the ruthless plan for the world, mind, and body domination being carried out by the Party and Big Brother. Additionally, modern technology like cellphones and cameras have unintentionally allowed our government to track us, hear our conversations, and watch us in our everyday lives. Therefore, I believe modern technology is leading us towards living in a world similar to Big Brother
Although they can be easily tracked, people overlook the invasion of privacy possibility because of the convenience they bring to every day life. Systems like OnStar installed in cars have made the tracking of stolen cars practically effortless. Similar tools are being used by law enforcement, Penenberg stated “cell phones have become the digital equivalent of Hansel and Gretel’s bread crumbs” (472). He then goes on to discuss how in Britain in 1996, authorities installed 300 cameras in East London. Although this didn’t affect the terrorism, it did affect the crime rate which fell 30 percent after the cameras were put into place.
In a world filled with technology we must ask ourselves, is technology taking us closer to the world of Big Brother? In the novel 1984 by George Orewell, Orwell has generated this unbelievable world in which no one would ever think to be possible, but then again pondering upon it our worlds are quite similar, it is slightly alarming. It was not noticed till recently that perhaps our technology is pulling us closer to the world of Big Brother. The technology used in the novel 1984 are correlated to the technology we use currently.
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.
When George Orwell’s epic novel 1984 was published in 1949 it opened the public’s imagination to a future world where privacy and freedom had no meaning. The year 1984 has come and gone and we generally believe ourselves to still live in “The Land of the Free;” however, as we now move into the 21st Century changes brought about by recent advances in technology have changed the way we live forever. Although these new developments have seamed to make everyday life more enjoyable, we must be cautious of the dangers that lie behind them for it is very possible that we are in fact living in a world more similar to that of 1984 than we would like to imagine.
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.
Whether the U.S. government should strongly keep monitoring U.S. citizens or not still is a long and fierce dispute. Recently, the debate became more brutal when technology, an indispensable tool for modern live, has been used by the law enforcement and national security officials to spy into American people’s domestic.
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.
Swartz and Allen both offer valuable perspectives on expectation of privacy and legal limitation of cell phone data tracking use. As consumers of technology, Americans use cells phone not always by choice, sometimes by necessity. Both authors advise us to question our stand on the government’s unwarranted involvement in our lives. I would encourage us all to be aware of all technology around us. Albeit convenient, we must be willing to accept our part in its use.
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”)
That’s My Tracker.”, argue that people should stop calling smartphones “phones” and call them something else like trackers. Maass and Rajagopalan support their claim by first explaining the explosion of GPS technology and smartphones apps keeping track of where people are, what has been bought, and the balance of someone’s bank account. “‘Every year, private companies spend millions of dollars developing new services that track, store and share the words, movements and even the thoughts of their customers’” (Maass and Rajagopalan 5). This quote asserts that companies now try to make apps in order to find someone’s interest, what is nearby and suggest any of the appeals that person might have, which seems like a little bit too much. In addition, in the novel 1984 the Thought Police knew the every move of citizens, and in society now the police can easily just find the location of someone who has their cellular device. “Many police agencies don’t obtain search warrants when requesting location data from carriers” (Maass and Rajagopalan 2). This can relate to the world of Big Brother because the telescreens were basically everywhere knowing the location of almost everyone. If people do not carry their cellular device, Long Beach police now has eyes everywhere along the
As citizens of America we are all entitled to our rights of privacy. When something threatens this guaranteed privacy we tend to take extra precautions to prohibit prolonged violation. As the advancing world of technology continues to grow and expand, so do the amount of cases involving privacy invasion. Technology drives these privacy-invading crimes; however, crime also drives technology, creating a vicious cycle. Without technology an invader could not enter that of a stranger’s life. Conversely, without technology that same criminal would evade the law enforcers. So does technology protect citizens’ privacy, or does it expose one’s entire life? In regards to this question, one must consider: before the rise of the world of technology, privacy invasion was not a common issue. With this fact in mind it is not difficult to determine where the problem lies: technology threatens privacy.
As technology as advanced, so has our society. We are able to accomplish many tasks much easier, faster, and in effective ways. However, if looked at the harmful impact it has had on the society, one can realize that these are severe and really negative. One of the main concerns is privacy rights. Many people want that their information and personal data be kept in secrecy, however with today’s technology, privacy is almost impossible. No matter how hard one tries, information being leaked through technological advancements have become more and more common. With personal information being leaked, one does not know exactly how the information will be used, which validates the statement that privacy rights have been diminishing and should be brought to concern. Many people do not realize that their information is being used by third-parties and to consumer companies. In conclusion, technology has had a significant effect on privacy
Video cameras are being deployed around the nation to help with crime solving, but some people are concerned about their privacy. Having cameras to monitor public areas have shown to be useful in situations such as identifying the bombers of the Boston marathon in early 2013. There have also been issues with these cameras however, as people are concerned they are too invasive of their privacy and have been misused by police officers in the past. Some people want to find a balance in using cameras in public so that they can continue to help with crime solving while making sure they are not too invasive and are properly used.
Technology is constantly changing, growing, and evolving but with each change in technology we risk our own privacy. With each new update we get we are told it improves our network or life but in reality it makes it easier to invade our privacy just like in the novel 1984 by George Orwell. There are many parallels between 1984 and our present day like the over watchful eyes of the government for our own good.
Myhre, Julie. "Technology Is Invading Our Privacy." Direct Marketing News. N.p., 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.