Everyone has the right to privacy in their
life. However, sometimes it isn’t
up to you to fully control just how much, how often, and for what
specifically. The government for
years has worked on regulating privacy along with digital technology in our
everyday lives. They feel that
they must control these fascists of our life instead of handing us all of the
control.
Governments Role:
In 1998, the government, under the Fair Information Practices Act, brought to the forefront four new rules that were set into place to help protect individual privacy. These new regulations were as follows; each individual would receive a notice regarding what personal information was gathered and used. Next, people are allowed to choose whether their information is used, and if so, in what way. Every individual’s personal information will continue to have solid security as well as allowing everyone to have access to their own information.
The government also focuses on analyzing
digital technology as well. An
example of this would be the ongoing privacy issues in regards to wireless cell
phones. The Fair Information
Practices Act continually tracks and follows the concept of one’s privacy and
security, among a few other things.
Google's Newest Mission:
As was discussed in class, Google has begun trying to change their privacy regulations in order to combine multiple Google aspects into one. This way if you are a member of one Google product, you will also be signed up automatically for other Google products, with that same privacy information. However, many individuals, along with thirty-six state governments, are objecting to this information merger by Google. A lot of people are arguing saying that just because we may be signed up for lets say Gmail, doesn’t mean that we want that information being used for other Google products and/or services.
As was discussed in class, Google has begun trying to change their privacy regulations in order to combine multiple Google aspects into one. This way if you are a member of one Google product, you will also be signed up automatically for other Google products, with that same privacy information. However, many individuals, along with thirty-six state governments, are objecting to this information merger by Google. A lot of people are arguing saying that just because we may be signed up for lets say Gmail, doesn’t mean that we want that information being used for other Google products and/or services.
In response to this, Google argues that in
fact the privacy policy is just being simplified, not changed. They continue to say “Our updated
Privacy Policy will make our privacy practices easier to understand, and it
reflects our desire to create a seamless experience for our signed-in users”
(Google Spokesman). In this case,
only time will tell if this concept indeed will continue to protect privacy as
it joins multiple Google aspects together.
The Government in Another Angle:
Another government example of regulating privacy of digital technology would be in regards to the concept of cloud computing. The government, through the Cloud Computing Advancement Act, is trying to protect individual privacy, while at the same time allowing for the Executive Branch of the government to obtain new tools that are needed for a specific technological area. The cloud computing platform concept is that there is a bunch of information, which is available wirelessly over a network, which is now being monitored to a certain degree by our government.
The government will continue to play a
role in people’s privacy for years to come. I like my privacy, as I am sure most people do. However, that refers to full privacy,
not partial privacy regulated by the government. I hope the concept of “privacy” will remain intact, and not
fully be over run and controlled by our government in full. Both privacy and electronic privacy are
an ongoing battle in our society.
We, the consumer, must continue to speak up for individual privacy in
this new day and age.
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