Privacy In a Digital World

Digital technology has made it easier for organizations to collect, store, and analyze personal information.

    Leaked phone numbers 

can be targeted by spammers

I've always tried to be aware of how technology collected information about us, but I did not realize just how much data is gathered every day. After watching the TED Talk videos linked below, I was shocked by how easily our movements, habits, and personal information can be tracked without us even noticing.

These issues affect me, my friends, and my family because so much of our everyday lives happens through our phones and online. Even just by having a mobile device, thousands of others have access to my personal data. Privacy concerns are not limited to governments either. Private companies collect, store, and sometimes sell personal information, which helps explain why our phone numbers and email addresses can be so valuable to marketers and scammers. 

I have experienced this with spammers calling me for months almost on a daily basis and using phone numbers with my hometown area code. In addition, I also have received more specific personalized ads through the mail since turning eighteen even without me signing up for anything. It makes me wonder how much more information about me is out there without me even realizing it.

    Cell-site simulators can be used to 

track or identify nearby mobile devices

The government should be able to use technology to protect people, but there also needs to be a clear line between safety and unnecessary surveillance. Technologies like automatic license plate readers and Stingrays can collect information about ordinary people who have done nothing wrong. The videos mentioned how this technology can be abused, such as placing license plate readers near mosques to monitor who was attending. Stingrays can also identify cell phones in any specific area. Something as simple as having my phone turned on allows it to create a record of where I have been. 

Personally, I do not want to feel watched during my daily life and my location or activities being tracked. I believe the government should have limits on how this information is collected, stored, and used so that technology meant to protect people does not become a way to invade their privacy.

As American citizens, we also have a responsibility to protect ourselves. We should be more aware of what we post, share, like, photograph, and search because our digital footprint can last much longer than we expect. The second video described this as a digital tattoo, and I think that is a powerful comparison. Just like a tattoo can tell a story about someone, our online presence can create a lasting version of who we are. We currently may not be able to stop the mass amount of data collected from us without our consent, but we can do our part by being cautious of what we post and are allowing the government and these companies to have easy access to. 

    Your phone is always listening—

turning private chats into targeted data

The biggest thing I took away from these videos is that privacy is no longer just about keeping secrets. It is about understanding that pieces of our lives can become permanent. The most chilling idea from the videos was the question, “How else can you threaten someone without death?” The answer was “with immortality.” 

That idea perfectly captures the reality of a digital tattoo. What we post, share, like, photograph, and search may outlast us. Because of that, I think we need to place more responsibility on ourselves to be more cautious with our personal information. We need to be more intentional about what we leave behind. We may not be able to control who is watching, but we can have more control over what parts of ourselves we choose to make immortal.

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AI DISCLOSURE: This post was a collaboration using Microsoft-Copilot. I took detailed notes while watching two 5-minute videos about issues concerning privacy in the current digital age. In addition to facts that I learned, I emphasized my own reactions and opinions while watching. I then asked Copilot to help me improve the text by correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation. I then asked Copilot to help me shape the text into a blog post format. After reviewing the text, I added links to related resources as well as appropriate images and captions. I also completely altered a lot of the text with my own personal opinions and statements to reflect my own individual thinking.

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