fix the paper

Zihao Zhou

Eng. 108

Has the Internet Changed the Meaning of Privacy?

In this context, privacy could be referred to as the multitude of ideologies or situations that have a common element or characteristic but they have got resemblance as depicted by the American philosopher, John Dewey. For instance, invasion of privacy could mean someone peeping on another or secrets let out publicly for everyone to know. Privacy can also be invaded when you publicly announce your personal data or when the government collects a dossier about you (Lunsford, Ruskiewiscz and Walters 737).

In Britain, there are cameras in almost all the corners of the streets. Logically, this is government’s way of invasion of the people’s privacy since they are able to locate a particular person’s whereabouts at any time. But again, it helps security wise. The watch outs through these cameras help keep tight security thus reducing terror attacks as well as criminal activities.

In the world today, we live in a digitalized platform where almost everything is done through the internet. The internet has provided a diversified social platform for people of all races from all corners of the world to connect and share. It has also enhanced the spread of information among people across the globe. The world has already been digitalized through the creation of the internet. It helps a great deal in passing of information as well as working and learning from the same. Most schools have adopted the internet as part of their major research tool to ease the learning process. Other learning institutions have also adopted the art of offering online causes for anyone to study from wherever location he or she is. The internet has made lots of things easier. Inclusive of transfer of funds i.e. money online. Some also have created an online market where people are able to shop and have their goods delivered at their doorsteps. This is a good thing development wise.

Despite the good intentions for which it was created, the internet has raised the platform for invasion of privacy in very many aspects. People think privacy is important when it comes to hiding bad things. This way, their basic information such as gender, full names, dates of births, email addresses and many other personal data have been rendered not private. They are given in most social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook twitter and Instagram to mention but a few. People care much less about where they live or what they eat and their personal assets in that they are free to display them all over social media.

The internet has brought about a negative impact especially on social media where privacy nowadays is not an issue of concern. In fact, people’s ignorance of parading their private lives on social media has created plenty of criminal activities Privacy is invaded in all kinds of manner. For instance, smart people, actually, hackers are smart enough to get such data. There are a number of felonies that could be committed if one’s private data is invaded, for instance, impersonation. A person’s details might be fabricated and used in a case of fraud and the innocent party is arrested and convicted for a crime he or she didn’t commit.

The internet depicts that privacy is only achieved when you do not expose your secrets. But information about oneself is quite okay to expose to the public. But the thought of privacy is just about secrets that only an individual can let out is totally argumenta. According to Daniel J. Solove, the government, especially in the US, is capable of acquiring all basic information of an individual. It track down all activities inclusive of the financial activities, health, business and also family activities (742). It gathers such immense data and files it for future reference in case an individual turns out or is suspected to be a threat to the country’s security. These is the kind of features that the American as well as many other governments have with response to the issue of security.

In the light of this, how a person reacts when one’s privacy is invaded is what matters. The emotional response to the same creates conflicts between parties. On social media there have been cases of accounts being hacked and funny posts being uploaded on timelines that belongs to the innocents. A person’s would emotionally respond to this through anger and feeling betrayed by unknown people. Now, what of a situation where an arrest is made on a person who has totally no idea what is going on based on a mere tip that he or she could be a threat to the nation’s security. Franz Kafka’s novel revolves around this man who got arrested without being given reasons for his arrest. He finds out that the government has a dossier that contains all his information but knows nothing more. The court used the information acquired about this person and made conclusions and major decisions for the person without letting him get involved in his own works (Kafka 50-58). It turns out that this was as a result of the surveillance and it was a misunderstanding. The emotional effects caused on this person are not easy to comprehend. The minute he walked in the questioning room he must have uttered words like, “I have nothing to hide” (Daniel J. Solove). That is an emotional impact and to him it must have been harassment. It’s embarrassing.

Therefore, to persuade the public that the internet has totally changed the true meaning of privacy, I will opt for the logistics. It is only logic that everyone has a private life. If a wife and a husband sleep without having dinner that is their private life. It is only logic for them not to go telling everybody the happened the previous night. But while on social media, you find some kinds of statuses uploaded on such sites are wanting. All sorts of stuff can be found on such sites and people don’t feel ashamed of doing so. But when the government comes in tings get a little weird for everyone.

It is only logic that the government should not go collecting information about people’s lives and recording them to an extent of keeping files. Well it could be working as a security measure but what of the individual’s right to privacy. It is invaded. In the case where the government has to take actions on such people suspected to be threats, such individuals should be allowed to participate in any kind of decisions that has to be taken if at all it concerns his personal life. That is if it is not a conviction by court.

Privacy is dictates that the disclosure of people’s secrets is wrong. According to Bruce, the “nothing-to-hide” argument has a faulty reasoning that privacy is the non-disclosure of a person’s wrong’s. The assumption that privacy is protection of the wrong-doings of a person is a problem that has led to what is now the invasion of privacy. In fact, the meaning of privacy has been eroded by this fact. The disclosure of people’s wrongs is a difficulty caused by several government institutions especially when handling cases such as the one discussed above.

To conclude, the internet has definitely changed the meaning of privacy. As discussed above, privacy is the plurality of related issues (Lunsford, Ruskiewiscz and Walters 739). The involvement of the social media platforms on the internet have created the assumption that personal data such as gender, employment and geographical location are not important to be kept private. It has also created the assumption that privacy only looks to protect the wrong-doings of people rather than their basic information. This is what creates difficulties with government systems in the war against insecurity, terrorism and criminal activity. It is happening in Britain, where millions of camera’s are there for surveillance with the attempt to fight insecurity.

Schneier, Bruce “The Eternal Value of Privacy,” Wired, May 18, 2006. http://wwwwired.com/news/columns/1,70886-0.html.

Dewey, John Logic: The Theory of Inquiry (1938; repr. vol. 12 of The Later Works of John Dewey, Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1991), 112.

Kafka, Franz. the trial. new york: trans. willer and edwin muir, 1956.

Lunsford, Andrea A, John J Ruskiewiscz and Keith Walters. everything's an argument with readings. New York: Bedford/ st martins's markmillan education imprint, 2016.