In the 21st century the internet is more present than ever. Children and people now growing up now, are growing up with the internet and don’t know a life without one. We believe that the internet is a private and safe place for us to be on. A light was shone on this recently when Edward Snowden released documents regarding the privacy of an internet user. With these documents people can now see how their privacy is being invaded everyday. One surprising piece of information shared is that the government is tracking all calls coming in and going out of the USA. Snowden said “People should be able to pick up the phone and to call their family,people should be able to send a text message to their loved ones [...] without wondering about how these events are going to look to an agent of the government” (Snowden). The novel 1984 by George Orwell shows how far the government can invade our privacy if they are not stopped. When Snowden revealed the documents to the public it stopped the slow overtaking of the government always looking into our private lives. In 1984 the government has overtaken the private lives of everyone in society. The fear of Big Brother constantly watching them has become of permeant part of everyone's lives. Winston says “There was no way of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment” (4-5 Orwell). This constant fear of being watched will become more present in our everyday lives if we don’t take action like Snowden to show the world how little privacy we really have.
2 Comments
Sarah
12/2/2017 08:41:04 am
I like the quotations you chose from the TED Talk and the novel. I agree with that if we don’t take action, privacy issues will continue. Being watched is becoming more of a reality everyday. I think you should reword the second sentence to possibly “Children and people in today’s society….”, to make your point more clear. Your personal information is never completely safe online due to constant cyber hacks and malware stealing personal info. One major example being the hack into Yahoo in 2013, that breached 3 billion accounts and stole names, emails, and passwords. I agree with how general citizens would feel a lack of privacy. I also look at it from two different points of view. I think the government should watch people if they have evidentiary support, such as tracking someone who may be a threat to the country (terrorism). Being watched can also allow more legal cases to be solved.
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Moad
12/10/2017 06:00:11 pm
Hey Brittany, I want you to know that your blog was an enjoyable blog to read. I liked your introduction, as I loved how you first talked about what everyone believes the internet is like, and then you go and show what kind of place the internet indeed is as you go along in your blog, showing the contrast from what we think versus what the reality is. You did a good job comparing Snowden’s Ted talk to “1984”, and backed them up with quotes. Regarding your quote from the Ted talk, I believe it was perfect for this blog as it connects to our daily lives, to things that we do every day. This connection forces the reader to think about how much power the government has really. Even your “1984” quote was powerful, as it can be related to everyday life. It’s true that we never really know if you’re being watched or not. Even things from webcams in laptops to street cameras, we can’t tell whether the government or even criminals are watching or not. To conclude, I believe your quote was very well written, and I look forward to reading your next one.
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