No Such Thing as Privacy

 

True privacy in my opinion does not exist. Everyone has some part of their aspect online, from posting every waking minute online, to a reserved person doing the bare minimum everyone is online. The reason no one has privacy is that everything online is traceable and leaves a digital footprint.

So what is a digital footprint, basically everything you post or do online leaves a digital footprint. There as some different ways to leave them the most notable and widely spread are cookies. Cookies collect your data and sell that data to other companies, so now instead of one website having your information countless companies now use it. The above information is called an Adhesion Contract which is where one party holds all the power, the online companies own everything you post.

So what are the positives about this no online privacy? Well, one positive is marketing efficiency. Now because of everyone's information being filtered into a digital dossier marketing companies can now advertise the specific products to niche markets and be successful, instead of mass marketing which loses profit and is inefficient. This marketing technique pleases some people because it makes their lives simpler because it makes their shopping easier. Another pro could be that the collection of mass data and surveillance makes it easier to find and prosecute criminals. 

Along with positives come negatives. The negatives outweigh the cons, though this data can make smaller areas of one's life easier it can also destroy your reputation in just a few clicks. The issue with everyone's personal information being online is that every time companies sell your private information it makes you more susceptible to hacking. Also, this data collection can be taken completely out of context, it can say things you don't mean to say. 

So what online protection do we have? Online privacy is a difficult subject because of the third-party doctrine. This doctrine states when the first party voluntarily gives information to a second party the first party relinquishes all control of downstream uses by a third party. This law means that if you give someone your information even if it is done in confidence it loses all constitutional protections. 

So how can we improve our online protection legally? First, try to be aware that everything you post or don't post will be public, and keeping that in mind will help correct certain actions, however, some things are inevitable. One way we can combat the inevitable and protect ourselves is through legal protection. This protection can take forms in various ways, we should make companies liable to be transparent about partnerships, sponsorers, and customers. Governments should not be allowed to store everyone's data and personal information, period. 

-We are innocent until proven guilty.