Blog Post #7

     The common analogy that the internet does not forget is true to a great extent. I might not have personally encountered a situation where I would regret what I have posted on my social media accounts or any other online platform. Perhaps, I am too slow to share my stories or I am careful to elicit discussions about myself. The fact that it is almost impossible to retrieve a message once it has been put online deters me from engaging on the internet. In fact, I have seen the lives of my friends and family ruined by messages they shared on social media networks. One of my close relatives lost an employment opportunity after the prospective employer established that he had made negative comments about it in the past on a social media platform. Unfortunately, many young people are making similar mistakes online as has been narrated in this link: Technology and how it is bad for young people. Even though the government can do nothing about what people decide to share online, it can formulate laws to require online platforms to educate their users on how to use the Internet responsibly. Users need also to be more careful while they engage online. 

    The justification that the police provide for mass surveillance is to enhance security. However, the reality tends to suggest otherwise as criminal activities are on the rise. My house was once broken in and items stolen. The police did not arrest the intruders despite CCTV footage showing their faces. I also have friends and family who have been victims of similar criminal activities and the police did not arrest the offenders or took too long to make the arrest. It would appear that the police are spending too much time and effort on the surveillance of innocent people and forgetting about the criminals. 

    When people know that the government is spying on them, they might choose to change their behavior, interaction, and usage of space as explained in this link: https://www.nyclu.org/en/news/reduce-power-police-we-must-protect-our-privacy In addition, the government does not have a justification for storing private data of people indefinitely. They should only retain data of persons they suspect are engaging in illegal activities. For the citizens, it is time to call for lawmakers to repeal laws that permit the police to spy on them. 

    

    It seems that encryption is the only weapon we have to protect ourselves from invasions of our privacy. With encryption of messages and calls, the police cannot tap into communication between people. They might know who I talked to, but they cannot know what we talked about. 

    I think this is the right move for our privacy and security back. It gives me confidence while engaging in conversations with my friends and family as I know that a third party cannot get the information. I have been a victim of data theft in which my personal data was stolen from a website of an organization I had interacted with in the past. I also have friends and family who have been victims of similar breaches. The government should require tech companies t incorporate encryption features in their products to ensure safe communication over the Internet. The users of the internet and other telecommunication services should activate encryption of messages on their devices to deter tapping by third parties. 

    Posting intimate photos and threatening a significant other or another individual about posting these photos is blackmail. I think this kind of blackmail in relationships is more dangerous than even police surveillance. The government should quickly introduce laws to criminalize such acts and tighten the loopholes in the existing laws. It should also make it easy for victims to request the removal of the images from the internet. As users of the internet and potential victims, it is important to look for red flags in relationships and assess the amount of threat that our partners pose with regard to the issue of digital domestic violence.