People’s pace of life is increasingly fast. Numerous people depend on modern technology for work and entertainment because it is more efficient. For instance, Facebook is the most popular social network website in the world, but use of Facebook is becoming a controversial issue as it has potential hazards that threaten users’ privacy. Facebook is a great innovation since it makes people easily contact friends and families, but when users upload their personal information on profile pages, their privacy may be confirmed by strangers. Nevertheless, some people believe that users’ privacy can be protected with technological tools. Although some technology experts claim that companies can protect users’ personal information, modern technology is an invasion of privacy. Using modern technology allows other people to track users’ movements, so it invades people’s privacy. GPS devices can reveal users’ physical location information to others. Leah Yamshon, the author of “Mobile Apps Can Compromise Your Privacy” suggests that if people use GPS technology without sufficient understanding of the system, their movements may be easily tracked by other people (par. 1). Using GPS devices without controlling data transition processes may let other people easily know users’ location, yet most consumers do not know how to control data transition processes. Dishonest people can also steal users’ location information though smart phone applications. Patrick Leahy, the chairman of Senate Judiciary Committee, points out that users’ location information can be collected and stored in an unsafe way by smart phone applications without consumer’ agreement, which can allow criminals to steal information (par. 4). Sometimes when users deal with their own affairs outside, they do not want other people to know where they are, but users’ location may be tracked by criminals when smart phone applications are used outside. Likewise, when signing up on websites, customers’ location information can be learned by others. When signing up on social network websites at home, customers’ home addresses can be tracked by cyber thieves. Moreover, if users make reservations through websites, criminals can know when they are away from home (Yamshon, par. 8). Criminals can find out users’ home addresses and movements with the help of the Internet so that they can steal users’ private property from their houses. To conclude, users’ location information can be easily tracked by other people with modern technology. People’ information is violated since use of modern technology leaks customers’ personal information to others on the Internet. Customers’ passwords may be confirmed by other people. According to Jacob Aron, the author of “Time to take control of your personal information”, Last Pass, which is a company to provide the service to manage customers’ passwords online, puts numerous passwords in danger because of cyber attack (par. 6). If customers’ passwords are stolen by criminals, their accounts are also in danger, which means their personal information related to their accounts may be stolen by criminals. Meanwhile, some people set their Social Security numbers with their birthdates and birthplaces, which can be confirmed on Facebook. According to Kashmir Hill, the author of “Hello, Stranger”, other people can know users’ birthdates and birthplaces through their Facebook profile pages. With this information others are able to confirm part of users’ Social Security numbers (qtd. in Acquisti, par 3). There is a large amount of information accompanied with Social Security numbers. Other people can confirm users’ private information such as home addresses and marriage status if they know users’ Social Security numbers. Lastly, cell phone applications can reveal consumers’ call information. There is a sound-meter cell phone application which can record consumers’ call information and upload it to the Internet (Aron, par. 4). When consumers’ call information is uploaded to the Internet, strangers can know the privacy which customers have said with friends and family members through cell phones. To sum up, users’ personal information is revealed on the Internet. Modern technology reveals people’s private matters since people are monitored by it. To begin with, people are observed by surveillance cameras. James Vlahos, the author of “New High-Tech Cameras Are Watching You”, points out that security experts develop surveillance cameras for safeguards without discussing the problem of privacy, which makes people enter a period of being watched (par. 6). There are increasing numbers of surveillance cameras beside roads. Though they are for observing crime scenes, normal people are monitored as well, which may make people feel unsafe outside. In addition, people may be observed by operators of surveillance cameras. According to Mark Espiner, an expert of German museum, operators can zoom in the cameras to closely observe those people who they think are suspicious (par. 8). It is responsible for operators of surveillance cameras to monitor crime scenes. Nevertheless, some of them observe details of people just for entertainment, and some operators even upload surveillance videos to the Internet. Finally, employees may be observed by their companies. Some companies use Raytheon Oakley Systems, which can run surveillance software to access users’ computers, to report employees’ activities back when they are on duty (Vlahos, par. 29). Some employers restrict their employees to deal with personal affairs with monitoring their computers to increase working efficiency. However, employees’ personal information can be found by their employers if they keep personal data in those computers. Therefore, people are under surveillance because of modern technology. Some technology experts argue that some companies can protect users’ personal information. Some smart phone and Internet companies have taken action to protect users’ information from being leaked. Apple only sells iPhone applications which are examined in its store, and Google Android applications have to acquire customers’ permission before being installed (Aron, par. 3). Consumers may leak their data to strangers since they do not know how to control the data transition processes when signing up websites or installing mobile applications, but companies are professional enough to prevent users’ privacy being revealed. However, technology companies themselves can invade customers’ privacy. Some companies may access and collect customers’ private data. When people use websites or cell phone applications, companies behind these services may access customers’ personal data (Aron, par. 3). Even if some companies can protect customers’ information from being stolen by other people, companies which provide cell phone and Internet services may access customers’ private information. Moreover, besides collecting customers’ information, some companies provide the information to governments. Some technology companies collect customers’ use of the Internet and cell phones and then share the information with governments (Vlahos, par. 15). Governments collect people’s records of the Internet and cell phones for some certain purposes such as for chasing criminals, but sometimes governments are not trustful since users’ information which is stored by governments may be stolen by hackers, and some officials in governments my steal users’ information and sell it to commercial organizations. In conclusion, though companies have methods to protect consumers’ privacy, some companies themselves steal users’ private data. Thus it is obvious that modern technology threatens people’s privacy. To begin with, when using GPS devices and cell phone applications, users’ location information may be tracked by others. Secondly, customers’ passwords, Social Security numbers and call information can be leaked on the Internet incidentally. Thirdly, people can be monitored by surveillance cameras and computer software. Last but not least, companies which provide technology services may collect users’ data and share it with governments. Therefore, experts, companies and governments must take action to deal with this issue, and users ought to improve their awareness of safety to keep their personal information secure in this age of modern technology.
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Works Cited
Aron, Jacob. "Time to take control of your personal information." New Scientist 210.2812 (2011): 22. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 4 Oct. 2011.
Espiner, Mark. “CCTV: Invasion of privacy.” Berlin Nachrichten. 3 Mar. 2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2011.
Hill, Kashmir. "Hello, Stranger." Forbes 188.4 (2011): 50. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 3 Oct. 2011.
Leahy, Patrick. "PROTECTING MOBILE PRIVACY." FDCH Congressional Testimony (n.d.): MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 4 Oct. 2011.
Vlahos, James. “New High-Tech Cameras Are Watching You.” Military.com. Monster Worldwide, 26 Feb. 2008. Web. 13 Oct. 2011.
Yamshon, Leah. "Mobile Apps Can Compromise Your Privacy." PC World 28.5 (2010): 41. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 4 Oct. 2011.