Privacy Policies and the Effectiveness of “Do Not Track”
Introduction
The Privacy Act of 1974 was established for the fair use, collection, and dissemination of personally identified information (PII). These records are systematically maintained by several agencies in the United Stated about its citizens, and residents. The disclosure of this information is prohibited but can be accessed either by the consent of the individual or another agency with a warrant. With the internet now being the free-flow mainstream of information, as well as the common place for transfer of personal data, for the use of different servers, new laws and legislations must be implemented to regulate the control of such sensitive information. There are a number of countries that have collaborated on this issue (such as France, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Germany). The European Union (EU) has uniformly mandated several provisions on the collection and use of PII. While Switzerland does not have an affiliation with the EU, it remains compelled to sponsor, and aggregate legislation that complies with the EU standard. In the US, there is currently no federal law that officially mandates and regulates digital information. US states independently debated on this issue regarding whether digital information is privy to the protections of privacy standards. Users that traverse the internet develop digital footprints, which are an established form of obtaining digital information in a unique pattern.
Personal data are regulated by United Nations and urges States to implement effective measures to ensure that information concerning a person´s private life does not reach the hands of person who are not authorized by law to receive,process and use it.Thus private data are protected not only by law of States also by international laws, and concerning computer misuse
As an American, we know, and are immune to this country starting to build on technology. Where every call or click online can be traced back, stored, searched and put together to reveal a portrait of private life. However, current law gives little privacy protection to information about these activities, overstepping the First and Fourth Amendment safeguards that are guaranteed to individual freedoms. There are two cases to be discussed, Smith v. Maryland and United States v. Miller, two of the most important Fourth Amendment decisions of the 20th century. “In these two cases, the Court held that people are not entitled to an expectation of privacy in information they voluntarily provide to third parties” (Thompson, para. 1). This proposition, know as the third-party doctrine, permits the government access to a vast amount of information about individuals, such as the websites they visit, who they have emailed, the phone numbers they call, and their utility, banking, and education records.
Privacy in this era is threatened by the growth in technology with capacity that is enhanced for surveillance, storage, communication as well as computation. Moreover, the increased value of this information in decision making is one of the insidious threats. For this reason, information and its privacy are actually threatened and less privacy is assured.
As human beings and citizens of the world, everyone values their privacy. It is a right that is often looked over and taken for granted by most. Since the beginning of time, there have been concerns about individuals’ rights to privacy and their personal information remaining confidential. Our founding fathers had concerns about this which is why, “…this right has developed into
It is important to realize the dangers of government surveillance; personal information containing sensitive details about an individual 's private life put in the wrong hands or otherwise used incorrectly could potentially have disastrous repercussions. In today 's interconnected world, everything that is said and done online is
In the year of 2017, it is hard to find any person whose life does not revolve around their electronic devices. The Internet has changed the way people function, and become a crucial resource in schools, workplaces, and homes all over the world. There are people who feel they could not survive a day without it, and, of course, there are people who are wary of its dangers. Children are taught from a young age to tread carefully when using the Internet, and teenagers can recite lectures they have received from their parents time and time again: “Don’t talk to strangers,” “Be careful what you download,” and most importantly, “Never share your personal information online.” What most of these parents do not know, however, is that you do not have to share your personal information for it to be collected. Not only is your information collected without your consent—it can legally be used against you. Many statutes involving Internet surveillance were rudimentary and non-invasive at their creation, but on October 26th, 2001, everything changed. The Patriot Act was signed into law, just forty-five days after the horrifying terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. The USA PATRIOT Act, more commonly known as the Patriot Act, was not a single piece of legislature, but a package of amendments to preexisting laws. The most notable changes in the Patriot Act are the amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA), the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1968 (ECPA),
I have decided to write a research paper on the importance of protecting personally identifiable information (PII) in Information Technology. PII is a critical, but often overlooked skill requirement for IT professionals. The subject of PII data is of vital importance to me since I work with PII data frequently and must be prepared to handle it correctly and ethically, less risk the violation of privacy law. In addition to satisfying the necessary requirements for a research paper, the intention of this paper are to provide:
The debate between where to draw the line between allowing government surveillance and keeping society’s members privacy will never be completely clear. It is important to keep a part of an individual’s life private and once the Untied States voted the Patriot Act in privacy went from limited to microscopic. Widening the scope of government surveillance slowly but surely pushes privacy out of the
Privacy is what allows people to feel secure in their surroundings. With privacy, one is allowed to withhold or distribute the information they want by choice, but the ability to have that choice is being violated in today’s society. Benjamin Franklin once said, “He who sacrifices freedom or liberty will eventually have neither.” And that’s the unfortunate truth that is and has occurred in recent years. Privacy, especially in such a fast paced moving world, is extremely vital yet is extremely violated, as recently discovered the NSA has been spying on U.S. citizens for quite a while now; based on the Fourth Amendment, the risk of leaked and distorted individual information, as well as vulnerability to lack of anonymity.
The right to privacy means controlling your own personal information and the ability to allow or deny access to others. As Americans, we feel it's a right not a privilege to have privacy. IT technology and the events of September 11, 2001 are diminishing that right, whether its workplace privacy or personal privacy. From sending email, applying for a job, or even using the telephone, Americans right to privacy is in danger. Personal and professional information is being stored, link, transferred, shared, and even sold without your permission or knowledge. IT technology has benefited mankind tremendously in so many areas, but its also comes with a price. Advancements in technology make all individuals vulnerable to
Over the past few years, the development of the Internet and the intrusive surveillance capabilities of these technologies have caused privacy to become a major political and social issue for millions of Americans who go online. Companies employ a variety of tools to gather marketable information on American citizens. Most of the use of this information is for personalized advertisement and to create databases of target audiences. While these activities may appear to be nothing more than annoyances for a majority of Americans, there is the hidden danger of the loss of privacy.
Privacy has become a very important issue, especially when
The words, “Arguing that you don’t care about privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say” were said by Edward Snowden who is a computer professional in America. Similarly, the essays “Tracking Is an Assault on Liberty,” “Web Users Get as Much as They Give,” and “Facebook Is Using You” from Nicholas Carr, Jim Harper, and Lori Andrews respectively points out that the internet privacy is good and bad. However, the articles by Carr and Andrews are based on the negative side of the internet privacy, which means that the internet privacy is not good. On the other hand, Harper’s article is based on the positive side of the internet privacy, which means that the internet privacy is good and scary, but people need to be careful of their own information and browsing histories, and websites. Jim Harper’s essay is more relevant and reasonable than the Nicholas Carr and Lori Andrews’s essays. However, Harper seems more persuasive to readers because he believes that the internet is good if people use it in a right way, whereas Carr and Andrews believe that the internet is not good at all.
Personal privacy today is a controversial and complex topic, which is influenced by a number of factors. There is an integral role that databases play in this highly debated topic. The fact that many people now carry out their transactions electronically is another important factor. There is also pressure on personal privacy for increased national security around the world to combat terrorism. In addition, personal privacy is even threatened by commercial factors and the Internet.
In the United States data privacy is not highly regulated or legislated, for instance, the Health, and Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), and the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA) are indicators of how the United States federal laws tend to favor