SAWANT: Take your internet privacy more seriously
Column: Sincerely Rue
Technology is an undeniable facet of our modern world — it has permeated every aspect of our daily lives. While this has made the way we live easier and more efficient in many ways, it has also left us increasingly vulnerable to its invasive nature.
As users of technology, we need to be mindful of what information about ourselves we are giving away, as well as where it is going and who gets to see it when we pick up new devices and software.
Of course, this is unreasonable. Much of our personal information is farmed in the background of apps we use, websites we visit and Amazon products we buy. Privacy policies are long, boring contracts created with the knowledge that most people will never fully read them.
I would even go so far as to say that, despite how this may come off, we are fully aware that we are being taken advantage of by corporations online. We just do not care.
I feel that it has become an unspoken, universally acknowledged truth that there is nothing private about our lives anymore. Our political affiliations, medical histories, addresses, phone numbers, emails, friends, family and likes and dislikes are all on display and fair game for buying and selling. While this is something we cannot stop ourselves, I believe we take this fact too lightly.
I find it unbelievable that this is our new normal. The implicit surrender of our confidential information is an inevitable caveat of new technology. I believe it is a caveat we allow with too little resistance. Technology will always advance, but with greater advances comes the need for more and more information to supplement it.
How long will society put up with the demand for information? At what cost? The cost of every facet of our lives exposed to anyone who may want it for their own purposes?
While we are asked for our consent for access to a subset of information, there are a lot of other details about us that are gathered without our explicit consent.
I take issue with this matter because the lack of privacy we now face, brought on by an ever-increasing tear in our personal lives carved out by companies and other individuals, feels like our autonomy is being stripped away. What is even more scary about this is that increasingly, as a society, that is being accepted.
I have noticed a collective, general blind eye turned toward the matter of our dissolving privacy in the technological landscape. People are progressively becoming comfortable with the thought that it is just "the way of the world" in the 21st century. Even if that is true to some extent, as human beings, should we not be at least somewhat concerned about the fact that we are so easy to access?
Our lives are open books to anyone who wishes to access them and take what they need for their own purposes.
I do not propose that every single person has completely let go of any and all concerns about the confidentiality of their information. But I do feel that margins of tolerance are expanding, that people afford more leeway to breaches of privacy with little questioning. After all, why should people question it?
The way our information has been used gives us the ability to live in fascinating ways, from self-driving cars and personalized show recommendations, which are very important to a lot of people. On the other hand, is this glamor really all it takes to placate people into unquestioning generosity regarding their highly sensitive information?
In an attempt to address this issue, The United Kingdom introduced the General Data Protection Regulation. It guarantees the right to be notified on the gathering and utilization of personal data, the right to make "informed decisions" concerning that data, the right to request access to that data and the right to have that data "returned or deleted."
While this regulation only applies to the European Economic Area, it sets an example for the type of technology-centered privacy standards that must be extended globally.
There has been increasing weight placed on the importance of being "informed." Informed citizens who make educated decisions on who they vote for and informed customers who spend their money wisely on products and services they can trust.
It is time to stop accepting regular breaches of privacy as a "part of today’s society" and "a necessary part of innovation." It is time we collectively understand that we can still embrace new technologies that require our data while still maintaining complete control of that data and, effectively, ourselves.
Rujuta Sawant is a Rutgers Business School senior majoring in business analytics and information technology and minoring in political science. Her column, "Sincerely Rue," runs on alternate Sundays.
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