When you send a text message to a friend or loved one, are they
the only ones to see it? When you call your business associates to discuss
private matters, are they really private? When your browsing the internet for
more information on touchy subjects, are you being monitored? These are
questions that not too long ago would be so far from thought but now make
headlines on some of the world's biggest news outlets.
We are in the age
of information and can find out just about anything we want to know. Peoples approximate
whereabouts, online activity/history, credit card information, and SSNs can be
acquired with ease. Technology that has made our lives easier on a day by day
basis potentially leave us vulnerable to cyber attacks that can damage
incredible progress made over time. The U.S. government for a while now have
been keeping tabs on its citizens to prevent future terrorist attacks. Their
efforts have proven to be successful for the most part but what has been lost
in the process. The idea of true privacy is slowly slipping away in our
everyday lives because of the way various information is collected.
Non-Government
workers (civilians) are capable of possessing software and services that can
intercept your text messages and e-mails. Listen to your phone calls. Turn your
webcam or cell phone camera on to see where you are and your surroundings. They
can even monitor your on screen activity so whatever you see, they see. When
first hearing about this, it does seem very scary but then you wonder, who
would use this and why? Some smartphone app creators call these "spy
apps" and market them to insecure spouses to "snoop" on a
potential cheater. Some say you can use them as a boss to see if your employee
is being truthful and respectable outside of the work place. What's interesting
is how you would go about doing this. The only way you can "hack" someone's
phone to these measures is to download the software on their phone or computer.
But even if you lock your device there is software that only requires you to
call someone and get their unique phone frequency. In other words you have to deceive
someone in order to hack their device.
When thinking in
those terms, do two wrongs make a right? To be honest, you would be doing
something very underhanded to find information that may not even exist to begin
with. This all comes down to what could be an uncontrollable urge to know the
unknown. When thinking on a
governmental level we are being protected and should feel safe, but people's
concerns come from another place in that security. The idea of a person having
a wide range of access to you at all times means you have to be mindful of your
actions because someone's watching and potentially paying close attention. Most
people would agree that we don't live in a perfect world so there are some that
would abuse such a power to catch you when you are most vulnerable. Imagine
being in your home, a place where you should feel relaxed and at ease. You hop
out of the shower and receive a message on your cell phone. You go to check it
without covering your nude body because your under the impression that your
alone. Being that most smartphones have a front facing camera someone that has
compromised your device takes a screenshot of you and now possess a very compromising photo
of you.
Now there are a lot of people that absolutely don't care but to those
that do, this could greatly harm their reputation, public image, and emotional
well being due to being ridiculed. This is in no way an article to discredit
the government and their efforts to protect us from harm, this is meant to
inform the population of the possibility that their privacy is being abused by
untrustworthy people. It is up to you to protect yourself as you see fit and
hopefully you are not taken advantage of in the future.
"Live life, responsibly"
-Kelly McGhee
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