It is my view that privacy and confidentiality are quickly disappearing as technology advances. With respect to new media it appears there is very little privacy, especially with networking sites. In this day and age one has to be so careful about what content he or she chooses to post, because there can be serious repercussions. Even with the right privacy settings there is a sense that once the content is posted, basically anyone can have access to it. Some employers nowadays are requesting access to the networking sites of prospective employees before they make a hiring decision. Although employers are demanding access and not simply hacking the accounts, the mere idea that absolute strangers can invade one's personal space is a huge encroachment on privacy.
The sale of digital information is big business; even with extremely confidential information like medical records. As technology advances, I believe it will become increasingly difficult to keep information private and confidential. There are also so many gray areas whereas the law is concerned, especially as the digital world is growing faster than lawmakers can write laws for it.
MM
I like your mention about the gray areas regarding laws on privacy and confidentiality. I agree that laws can and should definitely be created to help keep our information safe as we continue to use more advanced technology. Perhaps also, there should be ways to keep information safer so that no one can try to steal bits of information to use to hack into someone's account. And if someone does try to steal information or hack into someone's account, strict laws will help to punish these criminal behaviors.
ReplyDeleteIt's true. Only in a perfect world with perfect security systems would information be safe. What's interesting about hacking is that it's not clear-cut illegal. There may be ethical issues connected to it as well as there may be consequences for what was hacked, but there are a lot of shaded areas regarding information privacy.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that this isn't a more common procedure when hiring someone. It seems as though none of the professionals I know use this basic background check procedure to see someone's history.
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