Privacy & Technology

Kai Galbiso
Prof. Julia Gay
Comm 2500
8/3/2016

Privacy & Technology

Galbiso1

In the world we live in today, privacy is a huge factor that everyone wants to have and
wants to keep. With many new advancements in technology, people are starting to wonder if the
security of their personal information is actually safe.
So what does privacy actually mean? Google defines privacy as, the state or condition
of being free from being observed or disturbed by other people or the state of being free from
public attention. An analysis of our privacy within technology reveals some conflict of: How
private are we really? Would we rather have our privacy and be less safe, or would we rather be
more safe with less privacy? With analyzing and researching we will be expanding on the
position and value of privacy, the way technology interferes with privacy, the crisis of invasion
of privacy, and the way big businesses want to obtain good relationships with their clients
through privacy.
Americans Value Privacy
As a culture, the American public values privacy as top priority. We value privacy so
much that we have written laws that protect our right to privacy.
For an example, take a teacher and a student. If a student tells the teacher something
private that could be sensitive information, and the teacher were to tell others about it in a
disregard to the others persons privacy, that teacher could be severely punished and could
potentially be fired. Or just like a lawyer who has confidentiality with their client.
Majority of all people in America believe in privacy and keeping their personal
information confidential. According to a survey done in 2015, 93% of adults say that being in
control of who can get information about them is important; 74% feel this is very important,
while 19% say it is somewhat important, (Madden & Rainer). As well as, 90% say that
controlling what information is collected about them is important65% think it is very

Galbiso2

important and 25% say it is somewhat important. Americans also value having the ability to
share confidential matters with another trusted person. Nine-in-ten (93%) adults say this ability is
important to them, says Madden & Rainer.
The value of privacy is a fundamental value in our Country that has been around since
our founding fathers. In America, we believe in owning space, and having a right to that space
without anyone intruding and/or knowing about it. With many Americans saying they do NOT
wish to be observed without permission. According to Pewresearch.org, there are other findings
suggesting that Americans are becoming more anxious about their privacy, especially in the
context of digital technologies that capture a wide array of data about them. With new
technologies asking for more and more personal information, people are starting to distrust
technologies, and gain anxiety for they could be the next victim of fraud.
Technologies Effects on Privacy
Technology is something that has been fully engulfed into our modern day culture.
Technology helps us stay in communication with people, it helps us get to and from work, it
helps us have fun, and millions of other beneficial things; However, with recent advancements
technology may just have too much access to our private lives.
According to a study done at Stanford University, Recent advances in information
technology threaten privacy and have reduced the amount of control over personal data and open
up the possibility of a range of negative consequences as a result of access to personal data. So
is your personal information really safe from all this technology? U.S. Supreme Court Chief
Justice John Roberts in Riley v. California (2014), Roberts states, The fact that technology now
allows an individual to carry such information in his hand does not make the information any
less worthy of the protection for which the Founders fought. A very strong statement from our

Galbiso3

Supreme Court Justice. He acknowledges the fact that everyone has access to all of these things,
it only takes one person to do something negative with it.
Invasions of Privacy
Over the past couple years invasion of privacy has been a huge ordeal. From hackers
obtaining personal information from Apple, to Edward Snowden releasing files about the data
mining the NSA did.
So how private are we really? Well according to Edward Snowden we have no privacy at
all. According to the Washington Post, The National Security Agency and the FBI are tapping
directly into the central servers of nine leading U.S. Internet companies, extracting audio and
video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents, and connection logs that enable analysts to track
foreign targets, according to a top-secret document. That is a serious invasion of privacy, right?
Well maybe not as much as it sounds because the government argues that the Fourth
Amendment protects information that you keep in your desk, but not information that you keep
online, like old emails or pictures, (ACLU).
Apples Stand
With technology and privacy mixing there are tons of opportunities for mishaps. One of
the biggest stands on privacy for the people has happened this year in the court case of Apple vs.
the FBI. FBI demanded Apple to write a code in order to break into a cell phone (iPhone) that
was in the hands of one of the San Bernardino shooting suspects. Apple denied to working with
the FBI because of privacy issues. Apples attorney Mark Zwillinger states, this case is about
the Department of Justice and the FBI seeking through the courts a dangerous power that
Congress and the American people have withheld: the ability to force companies like Apple to
undermine the basic security and privacy interests of hundreds of millions of individuals around

Galbiso4

the globe, (Zetter&Barrett). What is great about this, is that Apple is actually sticking to their
guns when trying to be bullied by the FBI. According to CNBC News, Apples Chief Executive
Tim Cook called this court case, Chilling. Cook's argument was that if the FBI could access
this iPhone, nothing would stop them from doing it to many others. Obviously the FBI and
people wanted to see what was in that phone, for it could give us clues on why the shooter acted
as he did, but there comes a time and place where people need to stand up for their rights,
especially their right to privacy.
This case has been one of the biggest cases that deals with users privacy and Apple
confirmed its mark on its user by standing by the rights of the people. If Apple can be forced to
write code in this case to bypass security features and create new accessibility, what is to stop the
government from demanding that Apple write code to turn on the microphone in aid of
government surveillance, activate the video camera, surreptitiously record conversations, or turn
on location services to track the phones user? asks the brief. Nothing, (Zetter&Barrett).
Now what?
In conclusion, it is clear that we have a thin line of borders when dealing with privacy.
Law has the citizens back when it comes to privacy, but how far does it go. For companies like
Apple, they are willing to put their life on the line in order to prove a point and right to privacy
for their users. Americans are starting to distrust the Government because of incidents where
privacy has been lost. We are proud to have our privacy and nobody should take that away from
us. We should learn from Snowden and the example he has given us through the obligation to
uphold the rights of the American people and their right to privacy. We have learned that some
corporations are willing to put their neck on the line in order to save their reputation and gain
trust within their costumers. With technology constantly evolving our privacy will only become

Galbiso5

lesser. Speak out, speak up, and become involved in matters that could affect you in the long
run.

Galbiso6

Works Cited
Britz, J. J. "TECHNOLOGY AS A THREAT TO PRIVACY: Ethical Challenges.
"TECHNOLOGY AS A THREAT TO PRIVACY: Ethical Challenges. N.p., n.d.
Web. 29

July 2016.

"Edward Snowden: Leaks That Exposed US Spy Programme." BBC News. N.p., 17 Jan. 2014.
Web. 04 Aug. 2016.

Galbiso7

Gellman, Barton, and Laura Poitras. "U.S., British Intelligence Mining Data from Nine U.S.
Internet Companies in Broad Secret Program." Washington Post. The Washington
Post, 7

June 2013. Web. 04 Aug. 2016.

Gellman, Barton. "Edward Snowden, after Months of NSA Revelations, Says His Mission's
Accomplished." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 23 Dec. 2013. Web. 04
Aug.

2016.

Google. "Google." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Aug. 2016.

Hoven, Jeroen Van Den. "Privacy and Information Technology." Stanford University. Stanford
University, 2014. Web. 29 July 2016.
Kharpal, Arjun. "Apple vs FBI: All You Need to Know." CNBC. N.p., 29 Mar. 2016. Web. 04
Aug. 2016.
Madden, Mary, and Lee Rainie. "Americans Attitudes About Privacy, Security and
Surveillance." Pew Research Center Internet Science Tech RSS. N.p., 20 May
2015. Web.

04 Aug. 2016.

"Privacy & Technology." American Civil Liberties Union. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Aug. 2016.
Rainie, Lee, and Shiva Maniam. "Americans Feel the Tensions between Privacy and Security
Concerns." Pew Research Center RSS. N.p., 19 Feb. 2016. Web. 04 Aug. 2016.
"Technology Impact on Privacy." Technology Impact on Privacy. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 July 2016.
Zetter, Kim, and Brian Barrett. "Apple to FBI: You Cant Force Us to Hack the San Bernardino
IPhone." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 25 Feb. 2016. Web. 29 July 2016.

Galbiso8