Privacy
Read Blown to Bits Chapter 2 and answer these questions. You can revise your answers after we discuss this reading in class or in the forum.
Questions for pages 19-55
- Short answer
- What is an RFID tag and what does it do? Radio Frequency ID is a proximity based sensor that works almost like a bar code to read it to a specific identifier, such as a Disney MagicBand whose RFID tag allows the user to open the hotel room door, access theme parks, use FastPass entries, and even purchase items.
- What is an EDR and what does it do? Event Data Recorder is the equivalent of an airplane's black box within an automobile. At this point, they are standard in all vehicles and they record basic data such as speed, braking, signal usage, etc. in the case of an accident.
- Is it possible to identify someone, perhaps a patient, knowing just his or her gender, birth date, and zip code? Explain. If someone were to filter all of the data, he or she could re-identify the de-identified information in order to pinpoint who the specific individual may be. In some cases, there may be more than one individual who fits the description, but it would be a very narrow pool in most cases.
- What is the difference between "big brotherism" and "little brotherism"? Big Brotherism is the idea that the government and powers that be would be watching us, while Little Brotherism is the idea that we and our peers are watching each other, making that same data available to Big Brother and Little Brothers alike.
- Free Response
- How do you feel about “Big Brother” watching you? Do you think having security cameras everywhere is good or bad? I greatly dislike the idea that our every move is recorded in one way or another. It's not that I have anything to hide, but the idea that nothing is private any longer feels violatory. In one way I suppose it is helpful to see such things as ads that show what I've been looking for from a store; but the idea that it is accessible because some algorithm is recording data concerning my web searches is a bit creepy.
- Is the Privacy Act effective? Explain. It is a good start, but it is not capable of ensuring that privacy is fully protected. As with most laws, there are loopholes and workarounds, so Big Brother still has more access than he should. The bigger issue is that the Privacy Act does not apply to individuals, so Little Brother can still continue to dig into our every private detail and display it online.
- “The digital explosion has scattered the bits of our lives everywhere: records of the clothes we wear, the soaps we wash with, the streets we walk, and the cars we drive and where we drive them.” (pg 20) Marketing companies use these data to build models of our preferences and use these models to recommend products to us.. In 1 or 2 paragraphs, address the question 'Am I willing to trade some of my privacy for the convenience of having a computer or a company recommend products to me? Why or Why not?’ I greatly dislike the idea that our every move is recorded in one way or another. It's not that I have anything to hide, but the idea that nothing is private any longer feels violatory. In one way I suppose it is helpful to see such things as ads that show what I've been looking for from a store; but the idea that it is accessible because some algorithm is recording data concerning my web searches is a bit creepy.
- Bonus Questions (may require additional reading)
- How do “we leave digital footprints and fingerprints?” Do you think this is important for everyone to know? Why or why not? I think that everyone should be aware of where and how we leave behind footprints and fingerprints in the digital world so that they can make an informed decision about how or if they engage in such digital activities. Everything is recorded: EZPass and GPS on our devices record our locations, even FitBit and other activity trackers play a part in this.
- How has the social evolution affected privacy? Consider social networking. It seems as though as the digital age progresses, the idea of privacy changes. The upcoming generations don't even stop to think about posting private information or photos of others and they don't seem to be at all concerned about others doing the same to them.
- What are our responsibilities as app developers with data that is gathered from the apps we create? I feel that regardless of the minimalist laws requiring it and the lax social issues regarding it, app developers have the responsibility to do what's ethically and morally appropriate to allow others to make an informed decision about their online data. We should all treat others how we would want to be treated, and that includes digital treatments.
- Search the web for a recent news story that deals with privacy. Write a paragraph. http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/05/politics/cell-phone-supreme-court/index.html In this article, the author is discussing the upcoming review by the USSC concerning access to digital data as a part of a governmental agency's search and seizure of data in prosecutions, such as cell phone data, GPS locations, etc.