Aidan Tucker

Period 3
Sitterud
English 12

Today, data privacy is on the edge of the abyss. A step in the wrong direction will lead us into
that darkness where you are no longer you, but a show to watch and numbers to crunch. But
how did we get here? How did everything come to this, our feet, inches away from the precipice
of Orwells nightmare? While the history and politics behind this are complicated, the answers
are simple. Out of all the factors that lead to this, the biggest contributors to this condition are
paranoia, money, and the golden age of technology.

Paranoia, for better or for worse, is not a prevalent part of the American mindset when it comes
to privacy. Elsewhere, though, exactly because of this fear in the back of influential minds
people are starting to take notice of changes around them. The surveys maximum estimate
works out at one for every 11 people in the UK, although the BSIA [British Security Industry
Authority] said the most likely figure was 4.9 million cameras in total, or one for every 14
people. Already London is beginning to descend into a surveillance state, where the electronic
eye is always watching. More and more cameras are being added all the time. Yet the majority
of Britons are fine with this, thinking that the security trade off is well worth it. Hope remains
though. The rising generation, at least in Europe, seems concerned over privacy rights and the
fight for their liberties. Across Europe, younger people showed greater concern for CCTV's
effect on their civil liberties than older generations Simply knowing that others are fighting for
our future is a great prospect.

Believe that there are freedom fighters out there. Fight for the Future, cyberlibertarians, and The
Free Thought Project are all groups dedicated to a freer, less surveilled internet. Although he
multiple groups advocating for privacy out there have differing theories on the future of the
internet itself, all of them agree that a loss of privacy and imposition of stifling policies arent the
way. Almost all of them are internet optimists viewing the massive cyberspaces before them as
settlers did a new America, a place full of opportunity. Somewhere that is inherently able to be
greater just for the fact that it is relatively new and untouched. Many view this frontier as an
opportunity for not just America, but humanity in general to do better. Naturally their views vary,
but the basic concepts are these: live and let live, decentralize power, and protect data privacy.
Workshops are even organized by groups like these such as cryptoparties where ordinary
people learn the basics of cryptography to protect themselves and others online. By
empowering everyday citizens against big data companies and big government, they
simultaneously protect the populace and spread the ideals of a better internet.

Inevitably, though, there are always detractors. People who opposes these measures for their
own variety of reasons. Numerous opponents cite the idea that I have nothing to hide, do you?
Thinking that security should come before all else, they oppose the idea of online privacy
fervently. Although appearing sound, the logic they use is actually flawed. It fails to take into
account that a loss of privacy actually has profound negative psychological effects on subjects,
one study found. Even those who were doing nothing wrong still had higher levels of anxiety
and stress than an average individual. If this were to be applied to a general populace, we
would see an increase in cases of depression, ulcers, heart conditions, strokes, and generally
anything having to do with stress. Another reason oft cited is that we never had privacy to begin
with. There are two reasons why using this is faulty reasoning: 1) It uses a fallacy as a logical
base by saying that traditionally in the past privacy has been non-existent, so it is not important
if it exists now, 2) there has been previous decisions by the courts to protect our privacy. But
now there has been a direct threat to our privacy by the recent decision to repeal rules
constraining to how our ISPs (Internet Service Provider) use our data. Now they can package
and sell it to whoever they want. Anyone could know all about your browsing habits, where you
work, and the intimate details of your life recorded through your phone.

However, you do not have to take this. Earlier was mentioned classes on cryptography to
protect yourself but there is so much more out there secure your privacy. For example,
programs like Tor help to anonymize you. Tor uses onion routing to cover your figurative online
tracks from ISPs and governments. In addition for the Chrome users there are a multitude of
extensions/add-ons for your privacy such as uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger. Both protect you
from tracking advertisement cookies and other such underhanded ways of knowing where you
go online. HTTPS Everywhere is yet another fantastic addition to your safe keeping arsenal. It
makes sure each website you go to has a secure connection (hence Hyper Text Transfer
Protocol Secure). A final recommendation would be acquiring a VPN (Virtual Private Network).
VPNs protect your privacy by routing your activities through another countrys server, evading
tracking through your countries local censors.

Overall, the state of privacy today is in a very dangerous place. Our generation is on the tip of
the edge between free and Orwellian. Reader, be cautious as you explore the vast cyberspaces.
Stand up for your right to privacy. Get involved with the EFF and make a difference. Remember
that in the end the only thing standing between a dystopia and a future of liberty, is your voice. It
is a powerful tool to be free. Use it.

Works Cited
Tucker, Aidan

Bibliography
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2016. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.

Gallup, Inc. "Consumers Doubt Their Personal Info Is Very Safe." Gallup.com. Gallup, 11 Mar.
2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.

Agorist, Matt. "Google Is Quietly Recording Everything You Say -- Here's How to Hear It, Delete
It, and Stop It." The Free Thought Project. The Free Thought Project, 05 June 2016. Web. 27
Apr. 2017.

Goldhill, Olivia. "Britons Embrace CCTV Cameras." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 14
June 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.

Couts, Andrew. "Meet the Online Snoops Selling Your Dirty Laundry and How You Can Stop
Them." Digital Trends. Digital Trends, 27 Mar. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.
Barrett, David. "One Surveillance Camera for Every 11 People in Britain, Says CCTV Survey."
The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 10 July 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.