PART 1: ISSUE RESEARCH

Research Questions:

What does it mean to have digital privacy?
How is our privacy being disturbed?
How has our right to privacy changed?
What organizations are out there to protect our privacy?

My Research

Question #1: What does it mean to have digital privacy?

Privacy is having control over who has access to your personal information. Privacy is becoming an issue digitally due to our growing lack of control. In a 2015 survey held by Microsoft, it was learned that most people still don’t recognize that they leave a digital trail. Due to our lack of awareness, January 28th is now “Data Privacy Day” which is primarily meant to raise our recognition and embrace the importance of protecting our information.

Question #2: How is our privacy being disturbed?

A prime example of how our privacy is being disturbed is when Erik Geidl was placed with charges against him and his company, Goldenshores Technologies, for false privacy policies. “The defendants also will be required to delete any personal information collected from consumers through the Brightest Flashlight app.” There were an estimated amount of 8.4 billion devices in 2017 and is suspected to increase to 20.4 billion by 2020. With this said, as there is an increase of devices and the number of people that use these devices, it can be predicted that the number of apps will increase creating more possibilities for information to be leaked the same way the flashlight app took the information.

Question #3: How has our right to privacy changed?

As of the summer of 2018, “IBM estimates we are generating quintillions of bytes of digital information every day.” With such an extreme amount, it should be no surprise that “all 50 states now have laws requiring notification of data breaches.” The same author that brought this to light also went on to say that we need a more adaptable law for our changing technology use, the systems simply can’t keep up. In order to do this, he suggests that trust is the building block of sustainable digital use. Our information is being too easily collected, disseminated, processed, and preserved, this simple access has made big changes to personal reputation.

Question #4: What organizations are out there to protect our privacy?

There are plenty of websites and programs out there that are attempting to protect our information. With mission statements along the lines of building trust, non-profits, up to date on laws, and to educate. All of the websites that were found made it clear that they simply want to support the public and promote human rights regarding privacy.

Bibliography

Bahadur, Gary. “Home > Articles > Home & Office Computing > The Web/Virtual Worlds/Social Networking Privacy Organizations and Initiatives.” InformIT, 12 Apr. 2002, www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=26341.

Greenberg, Pam, and Lesley Kennedy. “Digital Privacy and Security: Overview of Resources.” Digital Privacy and Security: Overview of Resources, 13 Aug. 2019, www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/telecom-it-privacy-security.aspx.

Groman, Marc. “As Technology Advances, What Will Happen With Online Privacy?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 15 Jan. 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/01/15/as-technology-advances-what-will-happen-with-online-privacy/#264f82e31c45.

Kerry, Cameron F. “Why Protecting Privacy Is a Losing Game Today-and How to Change the Game.” Brookings, Brookings, 25 Oct. 2019, www.brookings.edu/research/why-protecting-privacy-is-a-losing-game-today-and-how-to-change-the-game/.

Mayfield, Jay. “FTC Approves Final Order Settling Charges Against Flashlight App Creator.” Federal Trade Commission, 10 Apr. 2014, www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2014/04/ftc-approves-final-order-settling-charges-against-flashlight-app.

“What Is Digital Privacy?” Protect Your Future Today, 24 Mar. 2019, www.identityguard.com/news/what-is-digital-privacy.

Zhao, Bo. “An Analytical Note: How the Internet Has Changed Our Personal Reputation.” International Review of Information Ethics, July 2013, www.i-r-i-e.net/inhalt/019/019-full.pdf#page=41.