Privacy? C’est Impossible!

Privacy laws have come under the scanner of late. Facebook and Apple – 2 of the biggest tech giants, are facing lawsuits regarding (what is seen as) the unlawful storage of consumer data.

Closer to home, this issue has now become one of personal importance. Startling news regarding data storage on the college server has not only come as a shock to me, but if proven to be true, it can forever change the way I utilize the tech solutions the college provides. Some say its justified if the college looks through our personal files. After all, we are assets. They have a right to know what’s happening in our lives. I say, it isn’t justified. I don’t want someone sitting in a dark room full of wires and screens reading the poems I type out on my laptop or seeing the pictures I store and sync to my iTouch.

It is a gross invasion of privacy. An invasion, which potentially, can lead to a lawsuit. In this day and age, devices like laptops and cellphones hold the key to your life.People store all sorts of information – passwords to email accounts, ATM pins, social security numbers. Imagine someone having unrestricted access to all the information you save. Nightmare, isn’t it?

In similar news, a classmate copied one of the poems I’ve posted on this blog and used it as his status on Facebook. I would not have a problem with this if he had bothered to link back to the original blog post (https://iris04.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/good-grief/) or at least tag me as the author in the status. But, he didn’t do either. While I may not have an actual copyright licence for the content on this blog, I do believe that basic ‘netiquette’ demands you credit the original author.

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