Privacy vs Safety, A World Where You Can't Have Both


Image result for internet web
Image result for privacyWe are living in a world where people prefer safety over privacy, or at least think they do.  Many plots from major blockbuster movies over the past couple of years have revolved around this subject, and the dangers of what happens when people give up their liberties to feel safe.  Google, Facebook, Twitter, and pretty much any big tech company you can think of have been involved in privacy scandals over the last few years, but they have gotten little to no repercussions for it.  Most of all, here in the U.S., our government has taken surveillance to a whole new level, with drones, satellites, cameras, and even our own phones being used to watch our every move.  As we have learned in class, restrictions of privacy are rarely, if ever, a good thing.  But, people today have done something that the people in the past never did when it came to their privacy: they are giving it up willingly.  While these people may not say they give their privacy away if you ask them, but, when you examine their Google accounts, social media, and other platforms that they are involved with, they are readily and willingly giving up privacy and liberties in order to feel safe.  This scenario is not good, because, as we have learned in class, all governments will jump at any opportunity to size more power.  In the past, Americans have stepped in and said "no" when our government has over-stepped its bounds.  But, given that Americans not only are not saying "no" when it comes to their invasion of privacy, but are saying "please," will create a precedent that is hard to fix, if and when someone comes along with the intention of exploiting it. 

Links:   https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/03/opinion/privacy-tips.html
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03574-5 

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