From social media sites to surveillance cameras to smartphones, each and every one of us leaves a digital trail that is being closely monitored with or without our knowledge. From the moment we wake up to the alarm on our smartphone, we begin engaging in the digital world. Before even getting out of bed, most of us check our emails, read news headlines and browse through our social media accounts. Every time we engage in this behavior “big data” is being stored which is accessible. As we exit the house and begin on our journey, our smartphones already know where we are going and tell us how long it will take to get there. Amazing! Right? We do not even have to put in where we are going, our phones know based on our typical travel where we are headed. Pretty cool? Or pretty scary?
Due to advances in technology, we have access to everything right at our fingertips. From computers, phones, i-Pads, cameras and even watches, we can get and send information immediately. However, all this information is under surveillance and tracked. What exactly is surveillance? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, surveillance means: close watch kept over someone or something. Personal data is stored and can be assessed by companies. This “big data” is shared and used to predict our habits and patterns in our daily life. Is this an invasion of our privacy? Does it impinge on our basic rights? It is a big price to pay for the convenience of technology.
Most of us know we are under surveillance, but could never give up the use of all our modern conveniences and devices. “The amount of data we produce every day is truly mind-boggling. There are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each day.” Let me put this into perspective: On the internet alone there are 5 billion searches per day worldwide. On Snapchat, there are 527,760 photos shared every minute and on Instagram users post 46,740 photos every minute. 1.5 billion people are active on Facebook daily. The list goes on and on… Each of these clicks and each of these posts contributes to the “big data” being collected on each and every one of us.
Is “big data” all bad? The answer is no. It can help us learn and make smarter decisions. It can predict crime, improve healthcare and help us respond to and predict natural disasters. It can help companies increase profits. There are many ways that data can be beneficial. But, where do we draw the line? How much is too much information?
Have you ever looked up something on the internet and within minutes that particular item or store can be found every time you are using various apps and search engines? That is no coincidence. Your internet searches, voice searches and even your location are all tracked and stored so that the advertisements can be accurate and specific to who they are targeting. I have had some eye-opening experiences myself that have left me wondering how this “big data” is being compiled. For instance, while shopping with some friends, we were looking at some expensive Burberry scarves. My friends were trying to convince me to splurge and buy one. I left and did not purchase it. Within minutes, I was being targeted with advertisements for Burberry scarves. Coincidence? I think not. Are we being listened to through microphones on apps loaded on our devices?
Is all this surveillance impinging on our privacy? Many feel companies have taken it too far. Privacy advocates warn that it is becoming more difficult to protect privacy and are calling for more regulation. Experts say the large volume of data and the speed of its growth, increase the sense for urgent action in the United States. IBM estimates 90 percent of all data in 2017 had been created in the past two years. Congress has not yet responded, in part due to divisions over how much regulation to impose on the internet without hurting online commerce and stifling innovation. From the controversy surrounding Edward Snowden's security leak of classified information to hacked email accounts of prominent political candidates, internet privacy and cybersecurity present major ethical issues in today's technology-centric society. Countries are challenged to find the right balance in securing personal data and how to regulate the sale and exchange of information obtained on the internet. Innovative technologies and data collection that enable novel modes of interaction and new opportunities for knowledge can also be abused to invade people's privacy, provide new tools of discrimination, and harm individuals and communities.
As a society how do we handle this new age of surveillance and “big data”? How can we not be so heavily influenced by it? There are no easy answers. I can’t help but wonder where we will go from here...
Sources:
www.bernardmarr.com/default.asp?contentID=766
https://www.bernardmarr.com/default.asp?contentID=766?contentID=766
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