Anonymity is something I’ve taken for granted, especially with the Internet and social media. The balance between safeguarding privacy versus keeping a public persona, real and convincing enough to interact with people so there’s no assumption you’re a (ro)bot or something far more sinister, can be delicate. While we’re more connected than ever before, that level of interaction is with a steep cost.
As I read through several articles for this week, I thought about how technology, as convenient and helpful it’s proven to be, still can be dangerous and used for nefarious purposes. Some of them mentioned Amazon and Alexa (the digital assistant), and the repercussions the general public is witnessing (particularly with privacy violations and abuse of personal/sensitive information). In this article the author discusses how Alexa is used to record conversations, oftentimes without people even knowing.
Although I don’t use Alexa (and have zero interest), my dad and stepmother have made it a fourth member of the household. They’ve used it innocuously, for playlists/background music and occasional reminders to water plants, attend a class, and take medications. Whenever they do have private conversations or something they don’t want recorded and stored, they turn it off or disable it. Despite Amazon’s reassurances that the conversations (as well as individuals) Alexa overhears are randomly selected and few in number, I am extremely wary of this type of technology being welcomed in spaces meant to be safe and private (homes, libraries, and so on). Even if the conversations were “innocent” (or were more everyday matters), I do not think I will ever use a digital home assistant.
Another article I read was fascinating; it gave an overview of smartphone history and various cases where corporations violate(d) privacy laws and ethics. The authors also include suggestions on how to improve privacy settings and practice vigilance with apps, documents, etc. I got a smartphone for the first time in 2011 (an iPhone) and ended up losing it a few months later during a trip to Florida. More than a decade on I still have a smartphone, albeit with a different brand and model. Sadly I never recovered the lost phone, but I do remember the terror and utter sense of hopelessness I felt knowing that someone out there has access to my personal information, and could do anything they wanted with it. I kept a close watch on my mail and billing statements (and continue to do so), even when nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary happened.
Privacy, for me, is a precious and vital aspect of modern society. Even information I thought was “safe” or not deemed important enough (whether it’s a book genre I enjoy reading or a song that caught my attention) is recorded and used for target advertising. As much as I enjoy the convenience of smartphone technology and connecting with people around me and outside my community, I want to maintain a sense of anonymity and be able to exist without constant scrutiny. Maybe that’s an impossible wish now; in the meantime I will try to follow the advice mentioned in the articles (changing passwords, using different names for platforms, deleting unnecessary or strange apps, etc).
Image Credit: Foundation for Media Alternatives (https://fma.ph/resources/resources-on-privacy/privacy-infographic/)
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