Does Technology affect our Privacy?

As technology advances rapidly, it seems our personal privacy becomes more at risk. Although we need new technology to survive and stay ahead of the game, we are losing certain freedoms in the process. Must privacy be sacrificed to make the world more stable and safe? Although technology will continue to advance, we as humans need to remember our most sacred right, our privacy.

It is evident that technology will never stop advancing; therefore, what do we do in terms of privacy? Tom Morrison, a former aeronautical engineer asked, “Does privacy matter?” Morrison also asked, “Where do we as a society draw the line in terms of how much personal information we’re willing to give away?” Devices and applications all over the world already give away so much of our personal information. For example, GPS, cellular phones, Facebook locator, Find-my-iPhone, and Twitter are all devices and applications that tell others where we are. Additionally, merely owning a cell-phone tells the government exactly where you are and what kind of activity takes place on that device. Don’t be ignorant enough to think your information is completely private to you. Morrison also argued that, “We have to have legislation to put the laws in place to protect our privacy.”

Technology does affect privacy; however, technology also helps save lives. Think about surveillance. No one likes to think about being watched by anyone else unless given permission; nevertheless, surveillance can be the difference between life and death. Morrison states, “Surveillance is essential in terms of protecting us from criminal activity.” What about alarm systems? It has been proven that having an alarm system in your home or vehicle will not only warn you if being broken into but also prevent an incident entirely. It may be true that the alarm system may let someone know when you are home or not; however, it may also deter criminals from your house. Simply put, sometimes you have to give a little to get a little.

Works Cited:

Margo, A. B. (2014, November 19). Surveillance in the Technological Age: Is Privacy Just an Illusion? Retrieved January 09, 2015, from http://www.aspeninstitute.org/about/blog/surveillance-technological-age-has-personal-privacy-become-nothing-more-illusion