Kyle Marks

Ms. Caruso
UWRT 1103
12, April 2017

Privacy in Technology

Although the increased role of technology in modern society has allowed for extensive

benefits such as nearly instantaneous access to media over the internet and created a vast

communication network, many people fail to realize the privacy loss associated with technology.

When it comes to privacy, laws become rather vague and are left up to interpretation due to the

fact that the right to privacy isnt explicitly stated in the Constitution, rather, it is only alluded to.

In an era of diminishing privacy, it is critical for people to question their right to privacy.

The integration of technology in our daily lives has provided many unique benefits and

challenges compared to previous generations. On one hand, the utilization of technology and the

internet has brought on an advanced age of communication and an increase in access to

information unlike any time before. However, the vast amount of benefits come with a plethora

of security and privacy concerns. Personal information is typically stored in servers and can be

accessed online. Although convenient, this brings many security risks by making data vulnerable

to hackers. Consumers rely on the companies responsible for storing their data to keep their

personal information protected and private. While some companies have implemented new

privacy technologies, like encrypting communications data, other companies have failed to

implement basic privacy protections (Henn). In 2013, the retail store Target had a massive leak

of costumer information due to failing to implement the sufficient security measures. Leaks like

these are dangerous due to credit card information being put at risk, and displays the need for
increased security measures for customer information (Wallace). Not only is it important for

critical private information, such as credit card information and personal details, to be protected,

it is also important to ensure that private information stays private. Personal information that

often comes into question includes internet search history, purchasing habits, and other

information that companies can sell to advertisers. It is often questioned whether or not this

information should stay private, and some companies are guilty of violating consumers privacy

without them entirely knowing. People must begin to realize that their personal information isnt

as private as they might think it is, and it is crucial to understand how their personal information

is being abused.

To bring awareness to the need for new privacy laws and to promote discussion regarding

privacy rights, I have created an infographic to convey a variety of statistics found in my

research. An infographic is a suitable way to convey the information that I have gathered, as it

displays information in an attractive and easy to understand format. Instead of large blocks of

text, infographics use a combination of pictures, graphs, and short descriptions in order to

convey information. Starting at the top of my infographic, I included a chart that displays the

number of data breaches that have occurred each year since 2013. In 2016, the total number of

data breach reached an alarming 1.4 billion and will likely increase as technology becomes a

greater part of our lives (Breach Level Index). Moving further down, I include two graphs that

indicate the data breaches by type and source. One of the largest types of data breaches resulted

in identity theft, which is not surprising considering the amount of credit card leaks in recent

years. The largest source of data breach incidents was from malicious outsiders. The next graphic

on my project displays the percentage of data breaches by each industry. Technology was the

largest industry that suffered from data breaches, with retail and government following after. At
the bottom of my infographic, I included a timeline that details some of the important laws and

regulations in the US that have altered peoples right to privacy. One of the major laws covered

on this graph is the US Patriot Act, which was passed after 9/11 and made it significantly easier

for the government to spy on Americans. Through the Patriot Act, the government was able to

collect a wide variety of personal information in the interest of fighting terrorism (Department of

Justice). Some people argue that the government has overstepped by implemented the Patriot Act

and collecting information that is not entirely useful for fighting terrorism. Despite the fact that

the government may be overstepping in some instances of the Patriot, two thirds of Americans

indicated that it is acceptable to sacrifice privacy rights to fight terrorism (Associated Press). One

article indicates that the websites that a person visits are indicative of a persons mind and

thoughts, and should therefore be protected under the fourth amendment (Alphran). However,

the Patriot Act legally gives the government the ability to track the websites that people visit.

This timeline is important to my overall message, as it displays how the governments

interpretation of privacy has changed over time.

Overall, it is critical for people to realize that more of their privacy rights are being

violated than they actually realize. A lot of trust is put into companies to protect critical personal

information, however, there isnt enough pressure put on companies to implement enhanced

privacy policies. In a world where technology is such a significant aspect of peoples daily lives,

it is important to realize the privacy violations that come with these luxuries.
Original Sources:
Henn, Steve. How Well Do Tech Companies Protect Your Data From Snooping? NPR. NPR,
12 June 2014. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.
http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/06/12/320997037/how-well-do-tech-
companies-protect-your-data-from-snooping
Alphran, Derek M. "Changing Tides: A Lesser Expectation of Privacy in a Post 9/11 World."
University of Richmond. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
http://scholarship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1182&context=jolpi
Press, The Associated. "Poll shows most Americans are willing to give up some privacy and
freedom to fight terrorism." NJ.com. N.p., 07 Sept. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/09/privacy_freedom_poll_shows_ame.html

Wallace, Gregory. "Target credit card hack: What you need to know." CNNMoney. Cable News
Network, 23 Dec. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/22/news/companies/target-credit-card-hack/

New Sources:
"What is the USA Patriot Web." What is the USA Patriot Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2017.
https://www.justice.gov/archive/ll/highlights.htm
Gemalto. "Data Breach Statistics by Year, Industry, More." Breach Level Index. N.p., n.d. Web.
11 Apr. 2017. http://breachlevelindex.com/