Privacy, as stated by Bob Sullivan in, “Privacy Lost, Does Anybody Care?” is a very difficult thing for most people to define. My definition of privacy would stem from the simplest form of the word: private. To me, private means that there are certain thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that are held by individuals. These aspects of life are always kept secret, or private, until a person wants them to be released in the form of expression. Even still, once these expressions are displayed, whether in hard copy form or in the form of actions or speech, one might not want these ideas to reach further beyond the point in which they were originally intended. Once these thoughts, feelings, or beliefs escape the comfort zone of the individual, this is an invasion of that individual’s privacy. While this is still a very rough and messy definition, the Internet is a device that is very dangerous in that it has the ability to break into that comfort zone of many different people. Governments, too, are getting smarter about tracing people online to stop illegal behavior. In one current matter, a number of European countries are looking to thwart fake e-mail IDs by proposing a legislation that requires companies to "keep detailed data about people's Internet and phone use that goes beyond what the countries will be required to do under a European Union directive" (Shannon).
Some of the biggest threats to an individual’s privacy on the Internet are simply out of the hands of that individual. For example, people get involved in many different activities in their lifetime, whether it be related to sports, academics, or simply holding many different jobs. The problem, one might realize upon “Googling” his or her self, is that many of these activities post things online that directly relate to particular individuals. Sports teams often post player profiles and statistics, academic institutions might brag about accomplishments or discoveries and put a name and a face behind them, and large companies may post brief biographies of top CEO-level or other high-profile employees. Unfortunately, these organizations might be doing more harm than good. While they may have the best of intentions to allow the public some insight into their members’ lives, they do not take into account who could be viewing this material and for what reasons.
While I do not have a striking or shocking invasion-of-privacy example for myself on the Internet, I did Google myself just to see what happened. The first thing I found was the homepage that I had to make for CSE111 at UB, which states that I am a sophomore in college. It also states that I live in Buffalo, N.Y., and some of my interests and hobbies. I was surprised to find this page, as I forgot that I had made it. I was a little annoyed that I forgot how to go back in and delete or change this page, as I don’t want to be forever associated with the things listed on the site. It is not that I have anything to hide, but rather that my interests and life experiences will surely change (if they haven’t already!). I found it interesting that if someone Googled my name, they could read old and possibly false information. On a larger scale, this must happen to people all the time. For instance, a CEO of a company might leave his position for a new company. If the website is not updated too often, he or she could still be listed as head of a company that they haven’t worked for in weeks, possibly months! That could lead to potentially embarrassing or confusing conversations or situations.
While I do not specifically fear my privacy being misused on the Internet, it does concern me to some degree that my name is already posted on so many different websites at the age of 20. I do not believe that taking measures such as avoiding spyware just to achieve a higher level of anonymity is really the best route for one to take (Wikipedia: Levels of Privacy). It will be interesting, however, to see if future action begins to take place in which companies, sports teams, etc. make a special effort not to make their members a matter of public interest.
Internet privacy. (2007, February 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:55, February 16, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Internet_privacy&oldid=108253712
Shannon, Victoria. (2007, February 14). Proposed legislation called a threat to Internet users' privacy. Retrieved February 16, 2007 from http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/14/business/privacy.php
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