PrivacyThroughPoetry:

ApoeticjourneythroughPrivacyInADigitalAge

DianaKelly
Honor3374
Prof.RandyDryer

Introduction

Followingthisintroductionisacompilationofpoemswrittenaspartialfulfillmentofthe
courserequirementsforPrivacyInADigitalAge.ThisUniversityofUtahHonorscoursetakes
ontheformatofaflippedclassroom.Welistenedtovideolectures,readpertinentinformation,
andengagedindiscussionsthroughaclassblogoutsideofclass.Thisengagementoutsideof
classallowedforclasstimetobeusedfordiscussionandexercises.Throughoutthecoursewe
discussedseveralrelevantprivacyconcernsandpolicies.
Theserelevantprivacyconcernsandpolicieswereaddressedasblogpostswrittenby
eachstudent.Ihavewrittenapoemforeachblogpost.Thesepoemsdisplaythemultifaceted
struggletoremainprivateandanonymousintheworldwelivein.Eachpoemiswrittenina
styleIfeltreflectedthetoneoftheprivacyconcernorpolicy.Followingeachpoemisabrief
explanationofthetopicandanalysisofthepoem.Ihopethispoeticjourneythroughthecourse
givesyouabasicunderstandingofwhatwasdiscussedandagreaterappreciationfor
protectingyourprivacy.Enjoy!

APrivateLife

SomesayPrivacyisdead,
AtributetoNietzsche,perhaps
Privacyisdeadbecausewekilledit.
Weyearnforwhatwehavelost
Trickingourselvesintobelieving
WeliveaPrivatelife

WeliveaPrivatelife
Creatingtortsforthecommonlaw
ProtectingusfromOrwellsvisioncometrue
Concoctedin1949for1984
Truthin2016

Truthin2016
Isgovernmentsurveillance
PrivacyissacrificedforProtection
Apublicinterrorofwhatcanbeplannedinprivate.

WeliveaPrivatelife
Oneofmanylieswetellourselves
Toeaseourconcerns
Aboutthosewhomightwishusharm
Thosewhomightabusethesystem.

SomesayPrivacyisdead,
Awordneverwrittenintoourconstitution,
Butinherentlyvaluedbythefree
ThroughtheKatztestwemaytellourselves
Theresachanceforrevivalofatermsoflexiblethat
IcansayIliveaprivatelife.

IcansayIliveaprivatelife
Hopingthereisachanceforrevivalofatermsoflexiblethat
TheKatztestisacomfort
Aterminherentlyvaluedbythefree
Awordneverwrittenintoourconstitution
AllowingsometosayPrivacyisdead

Thosewhomightabusethesystem
Thosewhomightwishusharm
Bringconcerns,easedby

Oneofmanylieswetellourselves:
WeliveaPrivatelife.

Apublicinterrorofwhatcanbeplannedinprivate
Sacrificesprivacyforprotection
Governmentsurveillanceis
Truthin2016

Truthin2016
Concoctedin1949for1984
ToprotectusfromOrwellsvisioncometrue
Wecreatetortsforcommonlaw
SoweliveaPrivatelife

WeliveaPrivatelife
Trickingourselvesintobelieving
Wedontyearnforwhatwehavelost
Privacyisdeadbecausewekilledit.
AtributetoNietzsche,perhaps
SomesayPrivacyisdead.

InAPrivateLife,Iattempttoevokethesensethatprivacyisnottangibleintodays
world.Withtheflexibilityofthethemeaningofprivacy,thereismuchdebateaboutwhetherthe
expectationofprivacyisreasonable.Inthispoem,Icyclethroughsomeofmythoughtsonthe
subject.Istartwiththesomewhatboldstatementofprivacybeingdead,referencing
NietzschesstatementGodisdeadandwehavekilledhim.Ibelievethatinawaythisistrue
todayofprivacy.Manyofthereasonswhywedonthaveeasilyaccessibleprivacyisbecause
ofthewillingnesswehavetogiveitupinthenameofprotection.Thisisabyproductoftheacts
ofterrorthatourgenerationhaswitnessed.Outoffearwehavedeniedourselvesarightnot
specificallywrittenoutintheConstitution,butinferredfromtheFirstAmendment,Fourth
Amendment,andFifthAmendment.
Whileprivacyisnoteasilyattainable,manypeoplegothroughlifeassumingthatmostof
theirlifeisprivate.ThisisthemindsetthatIhadbeforetakingthisclass.Thismindsetwasnot
onethatcameoutoftotalignorance,butachoicetobelievethatitwastrue.Iwasawarethat
thegovernmenthadaccesstovastamountofdataaboutitscitizensfromtheEdwardSnowden
scandal,Ihadalwaystreatedmysocialmedialikethepubliccouldseeit,andIknewthatthere

wererisksinvolvedwithsharingmycreditcardinformationandsocialsecuritynumberonline,
butIchosetoignorewhatthismeantformylongtermprivacy.
Inthepoem,Itrytoshowaninnerdialogueofadmittingthatprivacyisnotwithingrasp.
AfterthebolddeclarationthatPrivacyisdead,Imoveintohowwe(thecollectiveAmerican
people)trickourselvesintobelievingthatweliveprivatelives.Notonlydowetrickourselves,
butwejustifygivingupprivacyoutoffearfromterroristswhoareabletocreateandexecute
plansthataremadeinprivate.Ithengoontodiscussthevalueofprivacyandhowthroughthe
Katztestthereisstillhopeforasemblanceofprivacy.TheKatztestwasdevelopedintheU.S.
vKatzcaseof1967andtestswhetherthereisareasonableexpectationofprivacy.Evenwith
thishope,thepreviouslystatedstillstands.Forthisreason,Ichosetowriteinacyclical
fashion,bringingthepoembacktowhereitstartedbyreversingthepoem.

TheRightToBeForgotten

Therighttobeforgotten
Arayofsunlighttobrighten
Thegrievingparentsofachild
Herremainseternallyfiled
Thepicturesleaked
Ofherbodystreaked
Acrossacementbarrier
Causingangertostir
Intheheartsofherparents
Holdingontofragments
Oftheirdaughterslife
Thisrightcouldrelievemuchstrife
Fromthegrievingandchanging
Itperhapscouldbring
Areturnofdignityfortheembarrassed
Turningtheirindiscretionstodust
AlreadyestablishedinEurope
Savingpoliticiansfromgossip
Ofliveslivedinthepast
Andinformationthatusedtolast
Nowdisconnectedfromaname
Protectingthosewholiveinfame
423,050requestshavegraced
Googlesteam,nowfaced
Withdecisionsthatdefine
Wherewedrawtheline
Definingwhatdeservestobeprivate
Lockedawayandshut
Andwhatthepublicneedstoknow
Fromwhatasearchresultmayshow
Causingmanytobesmitten
Withtherighttobeforgotten

Astheuseoftheinternetincreasesandmoreandmoreinformationisaccessible
throughwebsearches,thestruggletoremainanonymousismultiplying.Inasensewehave
becomeimmortalthroughoursocialmediapagesandotherpersonalinformationuploadedto
theinternet.Whileimmortalitymayseemgrandtosome,forothersitcausesgreatgriefor

potentialembarrassment.ForoneAmericanfamily,theCatsourass,theimmortalityoftheirlate
daughterisnotawelcomecondition.NikkiCatsouraswaskilledinacarcrash.Followingthis
incident,thephotosfromthescenewereleakedontotheinternet.Now,everytimehernameis
typedintoGoogle,thosepicturescomeupimmediately1.Currentlythereisnowaytoremove
thesepicturesinAmerica.
ApotentialsolutiontothesetypesofsituationsistheenactmentoftheRighttobe
Forgotten.Thisisaprivacycenteredpolicy,enactedinEuropebytheEuropeanCommission
in2014.Thepolicydoesnotrequirethedeletionofinformation,ratheritremovesthe
associationbetweenaparticularquery,orname,andspecificresultsfromthesearch2.This
policyhasputGoogleinthepositionofhavingtodenyorgrantrequests.Inatransparency
report,Googledisclosedithasreceived423,050requests.Oftheserequests,57.2%havelead
toremovalofURLs3.
Thispoemiswrittentobeginexaminingtheworthofsuchapolicy.Idiscussthe
Catsourasstoryandmentionhowitcouldkeeppeoplesembarrassingpastshidden.Itcould
bringreliefanddignitytopeoplewhomightnototherwisehaveitbecauseofcontentonthe
interneteasilyassociatedwiththeirname.Whilemostlydiscussingtheallureofsuchapolicy,I
domentionthatGoogleisnowthedecisionmakeraboutwhatinformationshouldandshould
notbeeasilyaccessiblethoughcertainsearchesontheinternet.Thiscouldleadtoa
dangerousprecedentofcensorship.Regardless,manyarestillsmittenwiththeRighttobe
Forgotten.

JeffreyToobin,TheSolaceofOblivion,TheNewYorker.October31,2014,
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/29/solaceoblivion
2
MythBusting:TheCourtofJusticeoftheEUandtheRighttobeForgotten,EuropeanCommission.
October9,2014,
http://ec.europa.eu/justice/dataprotection/files/factsheets/factsheet_rtbf_mythbusting_en.pdf
3
Europeanprivacyrequestsforsearchremovals,Google.LastUpdatedApril28,2016,
https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/europeprivacy/(Thesenumbersareconstantly
changingduetothenatureofthesestatistics.ThenumberofrequestsonApril29this423,974.)

RealNamePolicy

RealNamePolicy
Freespeechorcivility
Anonymity

AsImentionedintheblurbfollowingTheRightToBeForgotten,anonymityhasbecome
increasinglydifficulttomaintainastheuseoftheinternethasincreased.Forthisreason,many
peoplefiercelydefendtheabilityforindividualstopostanonymouslyononlineforums.This
defensecomesfromthefactthatanonymityprotectswhistleblowers,victims,andotherswho
couldbeindangeriftheiridentitywasknown.Defendersofanonymousspeechalsofeelthat
anonymityallowscommenterstobemoretruthfulandconfidentwhenengagingindiscussion
online4.Incontrast,manyfeelthatanonymoususernamesallowpeopletobemeaner,knowing
theircommentswontbetracedbacktothem5.
Myhaiku,RealNamePolicy,brieflytouchesonthedebatebetweenanonymousspeech
andthepossibilityofarealnamepolicy.WhileIamawarethatthedebateiscomplexand
requiresmanyconsiderations,Idofeelitcomesdowntoablackandwhitedecision.Dowe
wantfreespeechorcivility?Therewillalwaysbetrollsandthosewhohidebehindthemaskof
anonymitytosaycruelthingsaslongasanonymousspeechexists,howeverifitistakenaway
manymorewillloseprotectiontheyneedtohaveavoice.Weliveinacountryfoundedonthe
abilityofindividualstoexpresstheirthoughtsfreelyandanonymously.Thisfoundationalability
shouldbeprotectedthroughthecontinuationofanonymousspeech.

ElizabethDwoskin,WhisperandtheMeaningofAnonymity,TheWallStreetJournal.October28,
2014,
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2014/10/28/whisperandthemeaningofanonymity/tab/print/?mg=blogswsj&url=
http%253A%252F%252Fblogs.wsj.com%252Flaw%252F2014%252F10%252F28%252Fwhisperandthe
meaningofanonymity%252Ftab%252Fprint
5
KashmirHill,CivilizingtheInternet,OneLawsuitataTime(ForNow),Forbes.October20,2010,
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2010/10/20/civilizingtheinternetonelawsuitatatimefornow/#4
8c2f27736d3

John&JaneDoeLitigation

MissNormaMcCorvey
Rockedthenationwith
Acasethatwouldchangehistory
RoevWade

MissSandraCano
Wononthesameday
Acasethatbrokethestatusquo
DoevBolton

Bothcasesledtothe
Legalizationofabortion
Tomakeawomanfree
Tochoosetocarryorterminate

Ahottopic
Yesterdayandtoday
Makingsomesick
Andothersjustified

MissSandraCano
AndMissNormaMcCorvey
ChosetofileunderDoeandRoe
Seekingprotectioninanonymity

JohnandJaneDoelitigationhasallowsplaintiffstogotocourtwithrelativeanonymity.
ThisanonymityhasleadtosomehistorychangingresultslikeinthefamousRoevWadecase
thatbroughtaboutthelegalizationofabortion.Mypoemseekstoshowthatthereisnodoubt
thatthisprotectionofferedthroughpseudonymshasallowedforcontroversialquestionstobe
takentocourt.IamapersonalproponentofallowingJohnandJaneDoelitigation,butthe
courtsviewonitisnothingshortofvague.
Federallawrequiresthatbothplaintiffsanddefendantslisttheirnamesinallcomplaints.
Despitethisclearrequirement,theUSSupremeCourthasseenseveralwavesofcaseswith
anonymousplaintiffssincetheearly1970s6.Sincethisapproval,therehavebeenmore
6

RyanShiverdecker,DuckingDuties:PseudonymousPlaintiffsandtheSupremeCourtofOhio,
UniversityofCincinnatiLawReview.November8,2013.

plaintiffsseekinganonymity.Becauseofthisseeminglyambiguousstanceofthecourts,many
havecalledontheUSSupremeCourttomakeadecisionaboutwhatwarrantsallowinga
plaintifftofileanonymously.Thissentimenthasleadsometogoasfarascallingoutthecourts
forshirkingtheirduty.7

https://uclawreview.org/2013/11/08/duckingdutiespseudonymousplaintiffsandthesupremecourtofohi
o/
7
Ibid.

Biometrics

Biometrics
Identifyusby
Ourphysicalorbehavioraltraits
Microsoftbillboardsrecognize
Eyes,nose,andmouth
Togeneratetargetedads
Recognizingourfaceswith
Incredibleaccuracy
Causingconcernsaboutconsentandprivacy
Sendingusofftofindtinfoilhats

Biometrictechnologyusesphysicaland/orbehavioraltraitstoidentifypeople.This
includesretinascans,facialrecognition,fingerprints,andmanymoreuniquelyidentifiabletraits.
Thesetechnologiesallowforidentificationandtrackingoverlargegeographicalareas.Because
oftheintenselypersonalnatureofbiometrics,itisimportantforcompaniesthatusethese
technologiestobetransparentaboutthisuse.Unfortunatelytherearenobindingregulationson
theuseofmanyofthesetechnologies.Forinstance,theFTChasonlyprovidedguidelines
intendedtoprovideguidancetocommercialentitiesinregardstofacialrecognition8.While
theseguidelinesareastepintherightdirection,theyareinnowaylegallybinding.
Thislackoflegalregulationofbiometrictechnologyiswhatinfluencedmyacrostic
poem.Therearemanyusesofthistechnology,oneofwhichistoallowtargetedadsbasedon
facialrecognition.Whilethismightseemgreat,therearesomeseriousprivacyconcernsto
thinkabout.Consentisoneoftheseconcerns.Thefinallineisareferencetothegeneral
paranoiatriggeredbytheincreaseduseoftechnologytoidentifyandtrackindividuals.

KashmirHill,The7DosandDontofFacialRecognition,Forbes.October23,2012,
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/10/23/the7dosanddontsoffacialrecognition/#585618a33
b28

ElectronicCommunicationsandCellPhoneSurveillance

Thirdpartydoctrine
Somevocallycriticize
Weliveinaworld
Dominatedbycellphones,
Informationsurrendered.

Thethirdpartydoctrinewasestablishedinthe1970sasaresultofUSvMillerandSmith
vMaryland.Thisdoctrinestatesthatapersonhasnolegitimateexpectationsofprivacyin
informationhevoluntarilyturnsovertothirdparties9.Thisdoctrinehasbeenusedsubsequently
includingcasessurroundinglocationinformationextractedfromcellphonesinUSvGraham.
Withtheincreaseofelectroniccommunicationneededtofunctioninthisworld,thethirdparty
doctrinehasbeencriticized.Thistonkapoemexplainsthereasoningbehindthiscriticism.With
aworlddominatedbycellphones,alotofourinformationisunavoidablysurrenderedto
thirdparties.Withthepracticeofthisdoctrine,ourprivacyisseriouslycompromised.

JohnVillasenor,WhatYouNeedtoKnowabouttheThirdPartyDoctrine,TheAtlantic.December30,
2013.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/12/whatyouneedtoknowaboutthethirdpartydoctr
ine/282721/

VideoSurveillance

Bigbrotheriswatching
Hasneverbeenmorehaunting
Thanwhenyourealize
Youarebeingwatchedbymechanicaleyes

Hasneverbeenmorehaunting
Acurseandablessing
Youarebeingwatchedbymechanicaleyes
Allowingmanytocriticize

Acurseandablessing
Franticallytoourprivacywecling
Allowingmanytocriticize
Theuseofmechanicaleyes

Franticallytoourprivacywecling
Notevenprivatewhendriving
Allowingmanytocriticize
Thegovernmentsmechanicaleyes

Notevenprivatewhendriving
Coulditbringaccountabilitytoenforcing?
Thegovernmentsmechanicaleyes
Preventapolicemanslies?

Coulditbringaccountabilitytoenforcing?
Keepablackboyfromdying
Preventapolicemanslies?
Howtousethewanderingmechanicaleyes?

Videosurveillanceissomethingthatourgenerationhasbecomeaccustomedto.My
highschoolwasoutfittedwiththenewestandbestsecuritycamerastheycouldgettheirhands
on.Storeshavesurveillancecamerasinsideandoutside.Thesecamerasareusually
accompaniedbyasigninformingtheuseofvideosurveillance.Whilewemaybefamiliarand
complacentaboutvideosurveillance,itisimportantforustounderstandtheimplicationsofthis
constantsurveillance.

Inmypoem,IreferencetheclicheofBigBrotherfromOrwells1984.InOrwells
futuristicnovel,BigBrotheristheallseeinggovernment.Itouchedonthistopicinthefirst
poemofthiscycleaswell.Inaveryrealway,thisvisionofOrwellshasbecomerealitytoday.
ThisisseenintheuseofALRP(AutomaticLicensePlateReading)technologytotrackvehicles.
Withthisinformation,thegovernmenthasthepotentialtofollowthedrivingpatternsofan
individual.Thiscanbeverytellingaboutaperson,exposingwheretheylive,work,goto
school,andwhatactivitiestheyindulgein.
Thelasttwostanzasofmypoemmoveintothepotentialbenefitsofvideosurveillance.
Recently,therehasbeenincreasedattentiontopoliceviolencetowardpeopleofcolor.An
attractiveaccountabilityfeatureistheuseofbodycamerasonpolicemen.Whilethisisnota
perfectsolutionandmayevenhaveitsownprivacyconcerns,itshowsthattoolslikevideo
surveillanceareonlythreatswhenabused.Thewayweuseourtechnologycanandwillaffect
thequalityofourprivacy.

TheSnowdenAffair

ThereoncewasamannamedSnowden
Heexposedthetruththroughthepressmen
NowhelivesinRussia
Defendinghisdogma
Hispenanceforfleeingthebullpen

ThislimerickiswrittenattheexpenseofEdwardSnowden.In2013EdwardSnowden
exposedlargeamountsofclassifiedinformationcollectedbytheNSAsglobalsurveillance
programs.HeleakedtheinformationthroughnewsorganizationsintheUS.InJuneof2013,
SnowdenwaschargedwiththeftofUSgovernmentpropertyandofviolatingtheEspionageAct
of1917.Inresponse,SnowdenfledtoRussiawherehenowlivesandseeksasylum.
Snowdensrevelationshaveledtomanydiscussionssurroundinggovernment
surveillanceandsecrecyaswellasSnowdensstatusasanAmericanherooratraitor.The
PentagonclaimsthathisrevelationswillhavestaggeringimpactsonUSintelligence
capabilities10.Whilethismaybetrue,hisrevelationsexposedgovernmentprogramsthat
intrudedonmillionsofAmericancitizenslivesonaregularbasiswithouttheirconsent.Forthis
reason,SnowdenhasbeenregardedasanAmericanherobymany.
ThegreatestdifferencebetweenSnowdenandotherAmericanheroeswhohavebroken
lawsinthenameofactivismisthatSnowdendidnotstickaroundtodealwiththe
consequencesofhisactions.HefledfromconfrontinghisownactionsinAmericancourts.
InsteadheisstuckinRussiaandcannevercomebacktoAmerica.Thisistheinfluenceformy
finallineHispenanceforfleeingthebullpen.

10

DefenseIntelligenceAgencyassessmentofdamagedonebyEdwardSnowdenleaksreadthe
report,TheGuardian.May22,2014,
http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2014/may/22/pentagonreportsnowdenleaksdamagerepo
rt

TheForeignIntelligenceSurveillanceCourt(Diamonte)

FISC
Secret,Sly
Reviewing,Approving,Allowing
Surveillance,Searches,Security,Certainty
Comforting,Validating,Unsuspecting
Privacy,Rights
Trust

TheForeignIntelligenceSurveillanceCourt(FISC)wascreatedaftertheForeign
IntelligenceSurveillanceActwaspassedin1978.Accordingtotheirwebsite,theCourt
entertainsapplicationssubmittedbytheUnitedStatesGovernmentforapprovalofelectronic
surveillance,physicalsearch,andotherinvestigativeactionsforforeignintelligencepurposes11.
TheFISCisconductedexparte,onlyconsideringthesideofthegovernment,duetoitsneedto
betopsecret.Thislackoftransparencyinconjunctionwiththecourtsoverwhelmingtendency
toapproveapplicationsandthefactthateachjudgeisappointedbytheChiefJusticehave
causedtheFISCtoreceivecriticismanddistrust.
Mypoemiswrittenasadiamonte.Thistypeofpoemexaminesopposites.Inthiscase,
theoppositesaretheFISCandtrust.ThefirsthalfofthepoemdescribestheFISC,thesecond
halfdescribestrust.Theshiftofdescriptionhappensinthemiddleofthefourthline.Ichose
trustastheoppositeoftheFISCbecauseofthecriticismthecourthasreceivedandbecause
surveillanceinherentlycomesfromasenseofmistrust.

11

AbouttheForeignIntelligenceSurveillanceCourt,UnitedStatesForeignIntelligenceSurveillance
Court.http://www.fisc.uscourts.gov/aboutforeignintelligencesurveillancecourt

TheInternetofThingsRegulation

Thereoncewasafridgewholistenedtome
Itsobediencecamewithafee
Potentialforbreeches
Fearingtheglitches
OftheInternetofThingsIflee.

ThislimerickiswrittenabouttheInternetofThingsorIoT.TheIoTconsistsofall
internetconnecteddevicesspanningfromyourwashingmachineandrefridgeratortoyourcar.
Connecteddeviceshavemanybenefitssuchasallowingsmarthomesystemsandcentralizing
controlpointsforallyourIoTdevices.IoTdevicescanalsobeusedtoimprovehealthinthe
formofexercisetrackersandanewpacemakerknownastheAccent.Evenwithallthesegreat
benefits,theIoTposesabigprivacyrisk.
IoTdevicescollectalotofdata.Thistypeofdataisusuallycollectedonlyafterimpliedor
expressconsent,butbecausemostIoTdeviceslackscreensitismuchhardertoseekconsent.
Thisdatacouldthenbeusedtomakecredit,insurance,andemploymentdecisions12.Withthe
thirdpartydoctrineineffect,handingoverthisinformationtoinsuranceagencieswould
essentiallybeturningyourinformationintothegovernment.Inaddition,thewaythedatais
storedandhowlongitisstoredcouldpotentiallyleadtobreachesinsecurity.Theseprivacy
concernsgreatlyinfluencedmylimerick.

12

JosephJ.Lazzarotti,FTCAnnouncesConcreteStepsforIoTPrivacyandSecurity,JacksonLewis.
January28,2015,
http://www.workplaceprivacyreport.com/2015/01/articles/hipaa/ftcannouncesconcretestepsforiotprivac
yandsecurity/

DataBokerLegislation

Well,theydigdigdig
Well,theydigthroughdatathewholedaythrough
Digdigdig,thatiswhattheyhavetodo
Topullofthattricktogetrichquick
Iftheydigdigdig,withaformulaandclick
Digdigdig,thewholedaythrough
Gottodigdigdig,thatiswhattheyhavetodointhemine,inthemine
Whereamilliondatashine
Theygottodigdigdig,fromthemorningtillthenight
Digdigdigupeverydatainsight
Theygottodigdigdig,inthemine,inthemine
Digupdatabythescore
Athousandbrokers,sometimesmore
Andtheyknowwhattheyarediggingfor

Heighho,heighho
Itsofftoworktheygo
Theykeepondiggingandselling
Heighho

Heighho,heighho
Gottomakeourtroublesgrow
Well,theykeepondiggingandselling
Heighho

Heighho,Heighho

ToDisneyfans,thispoemisanobvioushomagetothesevendwarfsinSnowWhite.In
away,Databrokersareminersofpersonaldata.Theydiguptheinformationthensellthedata
foraprofittogetrichquick.Databrokersobtainpersonalinformationthroughpublicrecords,
selfreportedinformation,socialmedia,cooperativearrangements,andthroughpurchase.This
informationisthenusedforvariouspurposes.Thesepurposesincludeverifyingidentities,
differentiatingrecords,marketing,andpreventingfinancialfraud.Noneofthesepurposesseem
verydangerous,butthewholesystemofbrokeringdatabringsupmanyprivacyconcerns.
Thereisverylittleregulationsurrounddatabrokers.Theinformationcollectedandsold
canbeusedtodiscriminateagainstconsumers.Inadditiontopotentialdiscrimination,data

brokerstrytocircumventtheconceptofnotice/consent,keepingyouinthedark13.Therehave
beenrecentstepstoincreaseregulation,allowingtheconsumertobeinformedofwhatdata
hasbeencollectedandcorrectanyincorrectdata.Withorwithoutthisaddedregulation,data
brokerswillstillbedataminers,sellingrawmaterials,orpersonaldata,foraprofit.

13

InfoLawGroupLLP,ThePrivacyLegalImplicationsofBigData:APrimer,InformationLawgroup.
February12,2013,
http://www.infolawgroup.com/2013/02/articles/bigdata/theprivacylegalimplicationsofbigdataaprimer/

DoNotTrack(Tonka)

Pleasedonottrack
Myonlineactivity
Dontuseyourcookies
Donttrytotailororboost
Pleaserespectthisonerequest

Addingtothestruggleofstayinganonymousistheinabilitytonavigatetheinternet
withouthavingyoureveryactiontracked.Tackingistheresultofwebsitesusingsoftwareand
cookies.Oncecollected,thisdatacanleadtoimproved,personalizedinternetexperiencesand
targetedads.Whilethisisbeneficialforwebsites,thedatabeingcollectedisoftenpersonaland
ifabusedcouldleadtoserioussecurityconcerns.Examplesofdatathatcanbecollectedare
location,numberofvisits,totalpagesviewed,andeventhepageyouwereonbefore.
DoNotTrackisanoptionforindividualstooptoutofbeingtracked.Onthesurface,this
optionsseemsgreat.ItworksbyinternetbrowsersimplementingaDoNotTrackheader,
allowingtheusertodeterminetheirtrackingpreferencesinanHTTPrequest14.Thisthen
createssomethingliketheDoNotCalllist.Unfortunately,theproposalthatwasissuedin2015
onlyasksnetworksandcompaniestohonorthisDoNotTrackheader,itdoesnotmandate
themtoheedtheserequests.Thislackofrespectforrequestsinspiredmytonkapoemonthe
DoNotTrackpolicy,whichclearlyrepresentsadisdainforthelackofrespectfromnetworks
andcompaniestowardsconsumers.

14

TrackingPreferenceExpression(DNT):W3CCandidateRecommendation20August2015,W3C.
August20,2015,https://www.w3.org/TR/trackingdnt/

SchoolMonitoringofStudentsSocialMedia

Toeliminatethehurtofanunkindword
Socialmediamustbemonitored
Keepingstudentsshelteredfromthecruelworld
Onthesurfacethebenefitsseemobvious
Actioncanbetaken
Toeliminatethehurtofanunkindword
Thepotentialtopreventviolence
Torespondimmediatelytothreats
Keepingstudentsshelteredfromthecruelworld
Butdoesitjustify
Thecollectionofstudentpasswords
Toeliminatethehurtofanunkindword
Hatefulspeechisnotillegal
Dowetradeourfreespeechfor
Keepingstudentsshelteredfromthecruelworld
Itisuptotheschoolsdiscretion
Todecidewhattosacrifice
Toeliminatethehurtofanunkindword
Keepingstudentsshelteredfromthecruelworld

Bullyinghasbeenapartoflifesincethedawnofhumankind,butwiththewidespread
useoftheinternetandsocialmedia,bullyinghasshiftedfromtheplaygroundtothecomputer
screen.Withthisshifttocyberbullying,thestringofschoolshootings,andtheincreaseinteen
suicide,schoolshavesoughtnewwaysofmonitoringstudentbehavior.Thishasturnedtothe
monitoringpublicsocialmediapostsbyschoolofficialsandeven,insomecases,goingsofar
astorequestthesocialmediapasswordsofstudents.Thishasopenedupafiercedebate
aboutthemoralityofsuchmonitoring.
Mypoemseekstodemonstratethetwosideddebatesurroundingtheissue.The
ultimategoalofanyschoolsystemistocreateasafeplaceforstudentstolearn.Inaneffortto
createandmaintainsafelearningenvironments,schoolsystemshavechosentodecrease
studentprivacy.Utahrecentlypassedalawprohibitingpostsecondaryschoolsfrombeingable
toaskstudentstodisclosetheirpersonalsocialmediainformation15.Theexactwordsofthelaw

15

TanyaRoscorla,StudentSocialMediaMonitoringStirsUpDebate,CenterforDigitalEducation.
September30,2013.
http://www.centerdigitaled.com/news/StudentSocialMediaMonitoringStirsupDebate.html

are:Employermaynotrequestdisclosureofinformationrelatedtopersonalinternetaccount16.
Thelawdoesnotspeakforprimary,middle,orhighschools.Thisleavesmonitoringuptothe
discretionofindividualschoolsanddistrictsinUtah.

16

InternetPrivacyAmendments,UtahStateLegislature.2013,
http://le.utah.gov/~2013/bills/hbillenr/hb0100.pdf

NationalDNADatabases

Anationaldatabaseof
Somethingsopersonal
Uniquetoeachindividual
OurDNAistheveryessence
Ofourbeing

Aproposalthatcouldbring
Discriminationunlike
Whatwehaveseenbefore
Geneticmarkers
Determiningourplace

Theworthdefined
Bytheuseinsolvingcrimes
Butarewewillingtopay
Withthepotentialexploitation
Ofourunchangeablegenetics?

TherearentmanythingsmorepersonalthanDNA.Withtheincreaseofbiometric
technology,DNAisamoreaccessibleandanefficientwayofidentifyingindividuals.DNAis
usedinsolvingcrimes,inmedicalcases,todeterminepaternity,andeveninfamilyhistorywork.
CurrentlyitisconsideredareasonablesearchforlawenforcementtocollectDNAsamplesfrom
allarresteesinAmerica.ThesedatabasesstoremassivecollectionsofDNAwhichpose
potentialprivacyanddiscriminationconcerns.
WithoutadefinitetermlengthforholdingontotheDNAsamples,opponentsofDNA
databasesarguethereisariskofthesamplesbeingusedfornewandunidentifiedpurposes17.
Inaddition,thereareseriousrisksofDNAsamplesbeingusedtodiscriminate.Opponentsof
DNAdatabasesarguethatDNAcouldbeusedtotheexclusionofmaterialthatmightprovethe
innocenceofthesuspect18.Discriminationcouldalsotaketheformofusinggeneticmarkersin
alegalcontext.Mypoemseekstoexplainbothsidesofthisdebate.

17

CandiceRomanSantos,ConcernsAssociatedwithExpandingDNADatabases,HastingScienceand
TechnologyLawJournal.Summer2010.
http://uchstlj.org/concernsassociatedwithexpandingdnadatabases/
18
Ibid.