Privacy, Online & Off

The privacy and protection of online users are being abused by high powers and dangerous people. In this post, I will be sharing my thoughts about four TED talks that each discuss a technology privacy invasion. These videos specifically touch on digital footprint, surveillance, wiretapping, and digital domestic violence. All of these issues are affecting Americans, and in some cases, regulations, laws, and general education should be placed to protect online users.

 

 In video one, speaker Juan Enriquez talks to the audience about big data, tattoos, immortality, and the Greeks. He connects all these pieces to the dangers of the long-lasting effects of technology. Enriquez voices that tattoos shout without any words, the same goes for an electronic tattoo. Enriquez defines an electronic tattoo as the imprint a user leaves behind for followers to see. He notes how these tattoos last longer than our bodies do. In my family and circle of people, we call this a digital footprint. Growing up as an athlete I've always been carefully advised what's appropriate and not appropriate to post with the understanding that what I post will stay online forever. An electronic tattoo/digital footprint doesn't just affect myself, but the programs I'm a part of and my family as well. It's important to me that I am representing myself in an appropriate light online for the sake of those in my life. I am lucky to have grown up understanding a deeper interpretation of electronic tattoos, but this is something that should be taught to society. As a nation, more education about digital footprint should be produced. 

Lastly, Enriquez made analogies to the Greeks and connected technology lessons. I thought these were very applicable to positive posting standards.

• Sisyphus: a king punished to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity.
• The Technology Connection: “Once you get that electronic tattoo you’re going to be rolling up and down for a long time.” -Enriquez

• Orpheus: Journeys to the Underworld to bring back his wife, he's not allowed to look at her, but he does and loses her. 
• The Technology Connection: With all the data out there it might be best not to look too far into those you love.
• Atalanta: A great runner who challenged that the man who beat her in a race could marry her. A man defeated her by throwing golden apples as a distraction.
• The Technology Connection: Don’t get distracted and post something you might regret later.
• Narcissus: He was very handsome but inconsiderate to the feelings of others.
• The Technology Connection: Don’t fall in love with your own reflection, and overshare. 

The second video is hosted by speaker Catherine Crump, she had points to make regarding the extensive and high-quality surveillance the government has over citizens. High-level surveillance has been passed down to local police operations making it very easy to locate, track, create a profile, and store data on anyone. Crump touches on the different tools that track us: license plate readers, everyday cameras, and cell towers. She seemed unhappy about how much information the government has on us. I believe it's great the government is taking advantage of technological advancements because I think it serves as a measure of protection.

I've spoken to the security team on campus here at High Point, and the team has a license plate reader that tracks every car that comes in and out of the gates on campus. This is a factor that makes me feel safe. I also appreciate the location services that are available to me, my friends, and my family. If I am ever worried about the people I care about I can easily track their phone to find their locations. Visa versa, if anyone is concerned about my whereabouts, I can be easily found. This makes me feel safe. 

In the third Ted Talk, speaker Christopher Soghoian discusses the dangers of wiretapping telephones. Soghoian brings up some points of concern regarding security in his speech. He uses an example of how easily telephones can be tapped in a situation in Greece. The Greek minister and a cabinet member were tapped by an unknown entity and data was stolen. If country leaders can be victimized by this, I am definitely at risk which is scary. The government should move toward utilizing encrypted, safe technology and express the importance of this to Americans. It's important individuals, companies, organizations, and the government are protected.

Lastly in the fourth video, speaker Darieth Chisolm shared a heartbreaking experience. She's a victim of digital domestic violence, meaning someone in her life couldn't physically harm her, so they posted exploiting photos of her online. Chisolm went through an expensive, complicated, and confusing road to receive justice. I was shocked to learn that there are no more laws regulating this and the punishment only consisted of hundreds of dollars for this crime. Her story also made me realize digital domestic violence can happen to anyone, even me or my friends and family. After hearing Chisolm's story, there should definitely be more laws in place to aid victims and make it an easier process to maneuver through. The DMCA is an organization that regulates online content, this is an organization that can help those affected. I didn't know much about digital domestic violence, but it is a serious conversation that requires more help from the government. 

The Eight Values of Free Expression

The founders of America worked hard to give citizens the First Amendment and the freedoms of speech, press, assembly, petition, and religion that come along with it. The founder's ideas shaped the "Marketplace of Ideas", giving Americans a space to express their opinions without government restriction. In this post, I will reflect upon which values of free expression resonate with me most, and how they connect to everyday life. 

 

    I feel that the eighth value of free expression is the most important; to protect dissent. This value of expression safeguards the American people from disagreeing with the majority and the government. Allowing people to disagree with the government builds a healthy democracy, making checks and balances obtainable. In Steve Shriffin's Dissent, Injustice, and the Meanings of America, he points out that dissent is essential in fighting injustice. In his writing, Shriffin also argues the definition of America and its founding principles of liberty, justice, and democracy are examined through the context of dissent.

    With Inauguration Day being yesterday, it makes me reflect upon how lucky our nation is to voice our opinions of our leaders and government without consequence. Generally, our country tends to lean either left or right, but it's become common for people to like certain aspects of both ideologies. I believe there's value in dissent, and being enabled to publically express what and who you stand for. Hearing other people's opinions is important because it educates us as a society, and encourages deeper thought. We the people are blessed with the ability to choose our leaders, and we are influenced by the power of speech every day through rallies, debates, speeches, and more. 

As a class, we've spoken about the TikTok ban. The fourth value of free expression, "Individual Self Fulfillment", fits with this situation. In class, we discussed how the government banning TikTok is a violation of the First Amendment. TikTok is a platform where creators go to express themselves, create their own identities, and interact with others. This is the Individual Self Fulfillment value. This value is built based on Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. When compared to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the value of individual self-fulfillment matches the value of self-actualization. Personally, I enjoy spending time on TikTok and have met new people and ideas from the app. This value feels personal to my generation because we're definitely a more progressive group, always looking to express ourselves. The University of Minnesota's book review of Human Liberty and Freedom of Speech, by C. Edwin Baker, summarizes Baker's opinions on the marketplace theories and liberty theory. "He concludes that marketplace theories reinforce status quo, while the liberty theory protects rights and promotes progressive social change". As I wrote above, my generation values being able to express themselves and create their own identities, overall manifesting progressive social change. 

When evaluating the importance of "The Eight Values of Expression", I found importance in the values of protecting dissent and individual self-fulfillment. Protecting dissent, the American people's ability to disagree with the government without consequence, helps shape a healthy democracy, promotes critical thinking, and holds positions of power accountable. Individual Self Fulfillment gifts society with the ability of one to express oneself, which enables progressive social advancements. There's more than meets the eye when exploring all the freedoms the First Amendment gives us. 

The History and Workings of the Supreme Court

In this post, I'll be sharing my thoughts, new information, surprising facts, and my key takeaways from the History and Workings of the Supreme Court class videos. 

The Part I video gave me great insight into the history and workings of the Supreme Court. The narrator touched on the length of service a justice serves in the court. The average judge spends 16 years on this bench, which I didn't know. One of the justices spoke about what it's like being a part of the group, "it is the quiet of a storm setting", referring to the chaos the court can hold. It's very rare to be appointed to the Supreme Court the video states, “Being appointed to the court is the same luck as being struck by lightning”. The narrator spoke about how the public did not appreciate the Supreme Court initially. This really surprised me because I respect the court and a vast majority of the public does too. John Marshall was actually the person who earned the respect of the citizens with the Madison case. 

 I was the most interested in Certiorari and how the justices chose their cases. The video states the court receives about 7,000 cases a year, and they only select 100 of those a year. The judges pointed out each case gets the same consideration. Giving me an imaginary look inside the conference room, the justices spoke about their first time on the court during a conference. They said it was "electric" and "powerful" to be a part of a conversation with the justices that held so much knowledge and wisdom. Before each meeting, each justice shakes everyone's hands. This builds a connection within the group and makes it harder to argue and hold grudges. To make the conversation fair, the Chief Justice created a rule where each person has to speak once before someone can speak twice. Overall I enjoyed hearing how the justices chose the cases and what it's like being in the conference room. 

 Part II of the video gave me more detail on how the court works. The video touched on the public oral court and the truths behind that aspect. Sometimes when a judge doesn't want to directly speak about a certain opinion they'll bring attention to it through the oral court. So, during the oral public court, the justices sometimes use the people to voice their own opinions to the other justices. I found this as a genius way to utilize the oral court. The last part of the video touched on writing opinions. The opinion of the court informs the Americans why and how the court came to their decision. I was shocked to learn that opinion drafts take up to 4 weeks to create, and even more time to perfect afterward.

 I wouldn't say I had a strong opinion of the Supreme Court before watching these videos, but after watching I feel more informed and understanding of the court. I appreciated being able to hear about the experience from the justices themselves. The biggest takeaway is the realization that these people dedicate many years of hard work serving our country. 

Top 5 News Sources That I Use

The top 5 news sources I utilize aren't the common news channels that the public uses. I'd argue my generation receives news in a different way, through social media channels. I'm a college student and a busy one at that, so naturally, most of my free time is spent on my phone, online, or talking with the people closest to me, and that is how I get my news. 

#1 Tik Tok

 It's hard to admit that my main news source is TikTok because it's not seen as a reliable platform. Most of my screen time is spent on TikTok and I've come to realize I actually learn a lot from the app. The app has an algorithm that fits my location and other videos I interact with, and a good amount of my viewed content is news and information. Something I enjoy about this app is how I get to see these news stories from real people's perspectives. For a current example, the California Wildfires. the fire has spread to the news, but on TikTok, my feed shows me videos from Californian users who are dealing with this tragedy. Seeing the news from real people like this helps me put situations into perspective. 

https://www.tiktok.com/en/ 

#2 My Dad

My dad doesn't work and he spends a lot of time researching and staying informed with current news. It's nice to have him as an informed person who I can talk about the news with. I generally know of current topics, but my dad can thoroughly explain what is happening. This is very helpful especially when I don't know the whole story, or have difficulty understanding the news. My dad is a trusted source who I turn to for the news. 

#3 Instagram

 I spend a good amount of time online, and I appreciate how Instagram posts are short, sweet, and straight to the point. When I view news headlines on Instagram, I tend to find that the posts give me just enough insight into the situation without overwhelming me. This aspect of Instagram is great for me because I usually don't have the free time to sit and read a full news story. The last thing I appreciate about Instagram is the large variety of accounts that I follow. I follow Fox News, the New York Times, ABC, ESPN, and other news outlets. It's nice accessing all these news sources all in one place. Instagram's graphics, short stories, and variety of accounts are all valuable to me. 

https://www.instagram.com/ 

#4 Google 

When a news story emerges I generally hop onto Google. This site gives me all information, from all news sources. Google is especially great for niche questions about current news. When I ask google a question, it gives me a clear answer. This is then nice for me because I tend to have a lot of questions, and I can keep finding more and more information on Google, whereas traditional news channels usually give a broad overview. Overall I love Google and the services it provides. 

https://www.google.co.uk/ 

#5 Fox News

When I think of a traditional news channel I trust, it's Fox News. Fox presents factual stories that are worth tuning into. Fox News is what I'll turn to if I want to read a full news article to learn more about a certain event. This news source has great coverage and facts. 

https://www.foxnews.com/