Privacy...Do we still have any?

    With technology today there has become an increasing amount of concern about our privacy and if it is protected. Today we tend to see more concern from the older generations because they grew up in a time where this wasn't normal. Younger generations for the most part have only known this their whole life or at least the majority of them. When you grow up with this being the "normal" it is hard to see what is wrong.

    Today social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and many other sites require you to sign a Terms and Conditions before being able to use their site. If I stood in a room of 100 people, I bet a majority if not all would agree that they do not read the full Terms and Condition, so what are we agreeing too? Once you have signed this you have now entered into a legal contract with a service provider. Typically, these contracts do include being able to collect your person data, use pictures and videos, and anything you search up. 

    Even if you stop using social media search engines like Google have been known for doing the same thing. Every time you search up a website or product the algorithm putting it into a database so they can get a better sense of what you are interested in. Lots of companies have try to down
play this by telling you they are using it to find content that best fits you. A great example of this is "Cookies" when you log on to a new site. The message typically reads "We use cookies to make your experience of our websites better. By using and further navigating this website you accept this. Detailed information about the use of cookies on this website is available by clicking on more information". People typically just click accept and continue on making it easier for them to target adds at you based off of data that has been collected. 

    Now that you have been informed on just some of the ways our privacy is being violated, we can ask the question why aren't people more concerned? This is not a normal way of life and in my opinion, it is actually very scary. We have all seen crazy sci-fi movies of how technology can turn and instead of what we once thought was for the greater good become an absolute nightmare. Some great examples of incidents like these can be found on the Netflix series "Black Mirror". 

    For those who would disagree I urge you to read George Orwell's book "1984". This book was published June 8th, 1949. The ideas spoken about in this book and the government being able to track our every move at one point sounded like a foreign idea, a reality we would never have to face. But what if these fears are already coming true with increasing AI technology and data collection, we have truly already lost our privacy, the question is how do we get it back? Don't forget Big Brother Is Watching You.