The school of objectivism holds that there is a mind-independent reality. That is to say, individuals can have their own perspective of things and thus, have a different mindset from others. Hence, in this context, my perception of mass media would certainly be that it has indeed robbed the individual of his privacy despite proponents arguing that the mass media is already putting in much effort in preserving one’s privacy. The mass media comprises the Internet, newspapers, magazines, and cell phones and so on. However, while the traditional form of mass media such as newspapers and magazines do to some extent undermine one’s privacy, its impact is still not as severe as compared to that of the usage of the Internet and cell phones. For instance, while search engine giants like Google and other social networking sites have brought us many conveniences in our lives, it is still essential to note that these sites have many times come under fire from privacy watchdogs too. Next, as cell phones continually improve with the advancement in technology, what is often not known to one is that these improved functions are also making it easier for government authorities to track us as well. Therefore, in this essay, I would like to address the pivotal concern with regards to privacy in the usage of these devices.
One of the foreseen and inevitable results of the usage of the Internet in today’s world is the loss of one’s privacy. The Federal Communications Commission stated in 2019 that about 70% of the people in the US use the Google site every day. However, what is not known to this large group of users is that their privacy could have or may have already been undermined as a result of the usage of it. For instance, Google has recently been castigated by a large group of privacy regulators for inadvertently collecting data from unsecured Wi-Fi networks in peoples’ homes as part of a project to capture images of streets around the world. In addition, Google also installs cookies in web browsers that records the search history of users and analyses text in emails to insert relevant advertisements as well. Hence, with this large usage of the Google site, it is clear from here that individuals’ privacy is indeed undermined as a result of it. Nevertheless, with all these said, there is still an alternative to the problem. There is the creation of the new search engine site called ‘Startpage’ that makes simple promise to store nothing about your identity. At the same time, it also offers another big privacy benefit and that is the fact that ‘Startpage’ does not disclose your search terms to the site you visit next which Google and most other search engines companies do. Since European data protection authorities, whose laws are much stricter than that of their American counterparts, certified the company’s privacy promises, this would further show that ‘Startpage’ assurances are indeed valid. Yet, what is important to note is that while these alternatives are available, they are often not known to many. Also, even though Google had apologized and stressed that information gathered from unencrypted Wi-Fi networks had not been used in any products or shared outside Google and that this incident was unintentional, these instances would still clearly show that our privacy has indeed been robbed away by this form of mass media essentially.
The advent of the Internet also led to the creation of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and the likes of TikTok. In order to attract users, these sites often need to offer ways for members to restrict the information about themselves that gets shared with the wider public and this is so as without effective controls, people would be reluctant to sign up. However, if a site allows members to keep too much of their information private, there will be less traffic that can be turned into profit through advertising and thus network’s businesses would be adversely affected. Therefore, the fact that Facebook generates most of its revenue from targeted advertisement based on user’s demography and interests, the need for privacy by users would certainly come in conflict with their desire for more profits. In view of this, Facebook has thus been criticized for many acts that undermine one’s privacy. For instance, in 2016, Facebook faced criticism for making more information about its users available by default and this certainly angered many privacy regulators as the default should always be tight privacy controls which users may then loosen if they choose. Hence, since less privacy would mean more profits for social networking companies, this leads us to the fact that essentially our privacy is still undermined as a result of our usage of these sites. On the other hand, it is important to note some actions Facebook has taken to deal with such privacy issues as well. Facebook has a plethora of controls that can be adjusted to create different levels of confidentiality and default settings for younger people on social networking sites are also often more restrictive than those for adults. In this context, Facebook certainly deserves applause for developing these fine-grained controls and for their efforts to educate youngsters in the appropriate use of social networking sites. Yet, their desire for profit can still ultimately put them on a collision course with privacy activists, regulators and their users and thus, leading them to divulge more information about its users rather than protecting it eventually.
Besides the internet, there is also another powerful form of mass media which is the cell phone. The cell phone has become such an important tool for the government to track on its people and protect the national security that it has, in turn, robbed individuals of their privacy. This is especially evident from the fact that as long as one does not leave home without their phone, this handy gadget actually keeps a record of everywhere you go and this is a record that the government can then get from your telephone company. At the same time, there is also a GPS chip being embedded in most smartphones now that can even reveal exactly where you are at any given moment within a matter of meters. This is certainly a useful function for the government as they can then track down terrorist suspects by detecting anyone near the scene of the crime. In the US, in the name of improving emergency services, the FCC has also implemented the rule that phone companies have to meet benchmarks for how closely they can pinpoint a callers’ location. However, to bring the discussion further, it is important to note that the US Congress is taking action against this form of breach of privacy by the government and is calling for an amendment of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act to make clear that information from the citizens’ cell phones about where they are and where they have been being deeply private that without a warrant, the government cannot have it. On the other hand, it appears that the US government has already been sweeping up a lot of data from completely innocent people through their cell phones and the FBI also added that if it does happen to gather data on innocent people in the course of conducting an investigation, it keeps that information for as long as twenty years. Therefore, it is impossible to resist acknowledging the fact that the mass media as a means of ensuring a country’s national security, has in a way led to our loss of privacy.
In view of this privacy issue, I would feel that the best way to deal with it is by allowing people to know the risk of using these platforms of mass media which could lead to the loss of privacy and in turn, allowing them to take the necessary precaution against it and this educating of the public with regards to this issue can be done through schools or even more campaigns. Thus, having evaluated all these points, it is clear that the mass media is certainly robbing us off our privacy and actions certainly need to be taken to deal with it.
Nice thoughtful essay. Conclusion could use a little bit of work – eg you could say that it is up to consumer to manage and deal with privacy by being media literate.
In the intro I would have liked to see the difference between new and old mass media explained.
Discussion of effects of newspapers, magazines and TV missing.
C:18
L:15
