Online Privacy: Is It Our Right To Be Anonymous Online?
Is the content that you post online kept private, only to be seen by the eyes of the creator? Although the reformed version of the Patriot Act was re-instated to lower the amount of data the National Security Agency was able to collect on U.S. citizens, everyone is still skeptical. Are our actions that we make online still confined to the privacy of our own computers?
The counter-argument to this question is “if you have nothing to hide, then why are you worried?” The answer to that question, as most are finding out, is that our freedom is being stripped away. A user may have his or her search history, email records, and social media posts displayed publicly at the drop of a hat. In many cases, users may want to work in public positions such as the political realm or the entertainment sector. If an individual were to rub a person the wrong way, their entire online activity may be subjected to inspection. Then, a person’s previous views or posts may be misconstrued in a way to paint them negatively.
Evidence released in the Edward Snowden documents reveals an even larger attack on the U.S. citizen’s privacy. In layman’s terms, the NSA was coordinating fake downloads of popular apps located in the Android (Google Play) Marketplace. The download that a user would normally install on their smartphone was ‘swapped’ with a fake app by the NSA. This download would act as a piece of spyware that would track all information input into the application by the user. Things such as coordinates, post history, pictures, video, emails, and conversations were all recorded and stored in the NSA database. The unsettling part came in that the downloads were not advertised as such and users were not aware that any collection was being processed.
In summary, the weakening of the Patriot Act further shows that the people in this country ultimately have the true power. Freedoms and the right to privacy should not be tampered with without prior notice or warning. Although the recent headlines may seem negative, the knowledge over these subjects puts the power back in our hands. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” When a nation allows its government to run unmonitored for safety, it loses its safety in the process.
