Computing Technologies

• Social Media/Group Messaging

  • Social media and group messaging are used extensively through the movie, and it’s through the lens of a group call that the story unfolds. Social media in the real-world enables people to connect with one another, but it also leaves them susceptible to leaking information and can serve as an avenue for hacking, something that we’ll explore in one of our conclusions.

• Mobile Cell Phones

  • Mobile Phones are used all around the world primarily for communication but have many uses now thanks to advancements in technology. In the movie we see Mobile Phones being used to communicate much like people would use a computer, by using apps like Facebook messenger and ios messaging. We see one of the main characters, “Amaya,” use her mobile phone, while she travels to Matias. This is so that she can stay connected to him while traveling and update him on her progress immediately.

• Computers/Laptop Webcams

  • The main story of the movie revolves around a stolen laptop which is being hacked into by the villains of the movie. The villains of the movie, called ‘The Circle,’ use hacked surveillance cameras to keep tabs on their victims (the main characters of the movie), when they are not around their computers.

• Cryptocurrency

  • Cryptocurrency - digital form of currency commonly used on the dark web to maintain anonymity. Used for transactions on The River in the movie

• Dark web

  • • “a network of websites that can only be accessed through special software that encrypts messages and provides users with anonymity” [1]

References:

1. Michael J. Quinn, Ethics For The Information Age (8th edition) (Pearson, 2020), 304.

Images:

Bischoff, Paul. “How to Access the Dark Web Safely.” Comparitech.com, Comparitech Limited, https://www.google.com/url?

sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.comparitech.com%2Fblog%2Fvpn-privacy%2Faccess-dark-web-safely-

vpn%2F&psig=AOvVaw1G8lc4a4ZAUEqCpU2E2kJd&ust=1665453171356000&source=images&cd=vfe&a

mp;ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCJDqqdnG1PoCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAj. Accessed 9 Oct. 2022.