Question: In a well-publicized news story, a man was caught “on camera” exiting a "gentleman's club" when Google photographed him for their StreetView project. He later sued Google because the revelation was unhappy news to his wife. Do you think Google is in the clear when they photograph the view from streets in your neighborhood?
Chapter two tells the story of privacy, how we have made it easy and convenient for us to lose our privacy through technology - some of them familiar technologies, and some a bit more mysterious - but all of it is exposed in the big question: What does privacy mean in the digitally exploded world? There are the obvious tracking technologies such as GPS (Global Positioning Systems) which help us all when we are lost in the boonies. RFID tags (Radio Frequency Identification Tags) that can be read from a distance of a few feet and is usally placed on products for tracking and inventory purposes. Another technology that has helped save lives and trace where people have been are black boxes found in airplanes. While these are only a few technologies that can track people, places, and objects at any point in time it is a reminder that there are many other ways that are less obvious that can track a person's history. In the situation stated above concerning a man caught on camera leaving a gentleman's club when Google photographed him for their StreetView Project, I belive that Google is in the clear. Like, Abelson said, "we give up data about ourselves because we don't have the time, patience, or single-mindedness about privacy that would be required to live our daily lives in another way." Although, it is unfortunate that this man was caught in a moment he is not proud of, he should not have been attending the gentleman's club in the first place if he had a wife. Technology and the internet has been a blessing and curse, it has created so many opportunities to communicate with people of like interests but it has also allowed anyone and everyone the ability to track you. It's a scary place.
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You cited some great examples in your answer. Would you opinion change if two people were photographed in an arguing, aggressive position, even though they were playing and laughing? If recognized, one might be considered having an anger management problem.
ReplyDeleteI am wondering if what you cite as scary will become so ubiquitous in the future to not make us worry?
Maybe, if two people are arguing in the street they are not trying to keep their conversation private. However, sometimes our emotions get the better of us especially if there is alcohol involved. I like the fact that google is now bluring out people's faces and license plates. It gives us an ounce of privacy to some extent. I would also like to say that these two people in the street are probably just some average joes who did not sign up to a lifetime of publicity unlike celeberties that know the price of fame.
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