The Final Thoughts on Tech

 Technology is an extremely scary topic. Yet, it is so strange that everyone is very comfortable with it. The problem with technological advancements and privacy have been a recurring theme throughout Media Law and Literacy. It has also been mentioned a large amount of times throughout my blog posts. The reasoning behind this, though, is because people seem to forget how worried we should be. It feels like one day there is a news article slandering Facebook that everyone sides with, and the next day everyone is back to using it.

Facebook has been the main subject of many of my speeches and essays this year. This just shows even more evidence to the fact that there are so many things wrong with the company. If I can spend a whole semester writing about the negative consequences of Facebook, then something needs to change. Throughout the semester, my main problem has been with privacy. Technology and companies that control it are always trying to take and use your privacy. Yes, that includes Facebook. They make it seem so harmless to gather your information. After all, it makes it so much more convenient when you do not have to type in your password every time you open Google. However, people should come to realize that their information is not being kept safe. It is being used to make money and target specific ads toward people.

What is so wrong with that? Some people will not mind getting ads that are catered to their needs and wants. Well it turns out that information taken by any company can be stolen. There have been so many instances in which a company’s storage was stolen by anonymous hackers. Now with your information, someone could be trying to steal money from you or even your identity. I always like to mention California when it comes to privacy laws because they have put in a system that allows users to willingly stop the taking of their information. It is called the California Privacy Consumer Act. I have argued for it multiple times and I will continue to speak for it. If technology continues to grow in the way that it is, we should have control over our privacy as much as possible. There is no way to give up technology at this point, so we might as well fix it.

When it comes to my relationship with technology, I am not so innocent either. I, too, ignore the problems most of the time. It is just so easy to forget about the problems when technology is a part of everyday life. I am thankful for my classes this semester because they constantly are pulling me back into the real world to see the dangers. Personally, I think I have a more healthy relationship with Social Media than most others. I only really use Snapchat and YouTube if that counts. I have Facebook and Instagram, but I rarely get on it. Sometimes when I am talking to someone about Instagram, they mention that they need to check how many likes they have received on their latest post. I constantly wonder about this. I have asked a few people about how their mind works with the need for likes. I honestly do not understand how liking posts can affect your mental health so much.

I feel like maybe I am on technology too much sometimes. It controls so much of life that I do not even think about it. I rarely am off my phone except for when I am eating. I always try to put away my phone when I am at dinner. The funny thing, though, is that it is not something that my parents taught me. My family never really ate at the dinner table for an official dinner every night. They usually would just make food and we would get some and leave. Most of the time, when we did eat at the table, my parents would be on their phones. I think I just find it more uncomfortable when I am on my phone instead of talking to the people I am eating with. Sometimes I break that rule, but I generally try to avoid my phone.

I think social media and technology are more worrisome for younger people. The younger you are, the more innocent you are. The more innocent you are, the more trusting you are. As a child, I was so willing to give away information. One time I was messaging a stranger over a phone game and offered to give my email, and the other person told me that it was dangerous to give information so willingly. I learned my lesson that day and will never forget it. I was lucky that someone nice was talking to me. It easily could have been a creep. The fact that kids are also putting so much hope into social media is also scary because an online presence will never keep you relevant forever.

In conclusion, there is an understandable fear behind technology and social media. There should be more regulation over it and the companies that control it should be more limited. I hope that people start to realize that there needs to be a change.

Whistleblowing Should be Protected

 One of my fellow classmates, CJ Vagnone, wrote his own blogpost about whistleblowers. I am going to review some of the topics that he covered here, but I strongly suggest reading the original. In Vagnone’s post, he describes the importance of whistleblowers and why they should be kept safe. 

A whistleblower is a specific person in a company or a government that leaks information to the public to give insight of wrongdoing or secrets. Whistleblowers are meant to keep the integrity and honesty of large corporations such as Google and Facebook, as well as companies across the world. For example, Julian Assange was a whistleblower that released private information that the United States government was hiding. This information made the United States look really bad, yet it was important for citizens to understand that there were innocent people being harmed in other countries, even Americans. The United States did what they could to silence Julian Assange and he was arrested after fleeing the country. At this time he is in a prison in London.

Julian Assange

At first glance, whistleblowing might seem scary. To be fair, it is a risky job and there is a lot of uncomfort to speak out against wrongdoing when you are surrounded by it. As Vagnone stated, whistleblowing is usually protected and not illegal. There are supposed to be laws put in place such as the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989. This, of course, is because people deserve to have knowledge of the secrets being kept against citizens and those who speak out should have the freedom to do so. In Julian Assange’s case, he should not be in trouble legally and there is a major issue that he is in prison.

Whistleblowers have been known to help before. After all, that is how Nixon was impeached. Watergate was information that was leaked about Nixon covering up illegal activities. The health problems behind using nicotine and tobacco were also information that was leaked to the public. There are plenty of reasons that whistleblowers are and should be protected. So for the safety of everyone, we should work to protect whistleblowers.

AI is a Scary Advancement

 The change of Artificial Intelligence is bound to happen no matter what. It is only going to get more advanced and there are some good and bad side effects. Over all, it will make life so much more efficient and easier. While that is a nice positive, there are many more reasons to be scared for the future of technology. Even with more efficiency, it brings more control for the technology itself.

The main concern that is visible from this video would be the lack of privacy as technology progresses. At the moment, the United States is the leader of artificial intelligence in the world. It looks as though China will be catching up very fast. China has little to no privacy at all in the country. The United States wants to stay in the lead, but China is advancing so fast and their lack of privacy helps them with information. The United States is supposed to guarantee privacy to its citizens and when that right is threatened by companies like Facebook, there is backlash from citizens. In China, citizens can not go anywhere without a camera identifying everything about them in a matter of seconds. Their privacy issue is so bad, that they have a social score that indicates whether they are good for the community. If they have a good score, then they can be rewarded with discounts and such. Low scores can lead to punishment like travel ban.

Technology has gotten so advanced that it is able to make well thought out predictions. Artificial intelligence is able to learn a new game and beat the best players in the world in no time. It can beat the best Chess players. It can beat the best Go players. It can develop so much to a scary intent of being able to think for us. Self driving eighteen wheelers have already been put to work in some places. These trucks carry out the duty of a truck driver without the actual driver. A driver does monitor it sometimes, but generally the truck can successfully do its job without help.

Technology is a strange concept that has grown so fast. There are few regulations over it and it may be too powerful to stop soon. I, personally, am a bit afraid of the future and the ways that we can be controlled even subconsciously. I hope that one day the California Consumer Privacy Act becomes a more nationwide concept and that we do not go overboard with the advancement of artificial intelligence. The California Consumer Privacy Act is a system that was recently put in place only in California. The legislation says that if you do not want your information being used or sold, you can choose not to let them. The act was passed unanimously and it should be a more accepted document throughout the states.