Journal 6
Brett Smith
When thinking of surveillance, the first image that pops into my head is a security camera. Just about every store has one, covering every angle to make sure customers are behaving properly. I often forget just how much I am being watched in public spaces, not by the people around me, but by the extra eyes in the ceiling. When I am in public, I know I am being watched, but what about when I am in private, in my own home? Who really has control over my smartphone and access to all my personal data to be used at their disposal? When it comes to surveillance there are two big dogs to consider, Facebook and Google. These are the two monopolies that control surveillance capitalism. In Journal 6, I will be discussing two concerns I have about the tech, a possible redesign that could improve this, as well as my closing thoughts.
To start, when talking with my group in class, I asked if they thought surveillance was necessary. They replied with a “yes/no” answer. Trying to see both sides of the picture, they were able to understand the security of the nation, monitoring possible terrorists or trying to prevent a future attack, but they had a hard time justifying the sharing of personal data. We could all agree that because we have grown up with this constant monitoring and surveillance, we have almost forgotten it was even there. Undoubtedly, security has never been the same sense 911 and clicking the “Agree” button to use an app or create a social media account has almost become second nature. It can be easy to lose track of how many subscriptions I have and how much information I have given to different companies over the years.
The first concern I have with this tech is, where does all of my information go? It turns out, every click, like (on social media), post, internet search, heartbeat, basically anything and everything regarding the use of a smartphone or internet-accessible device is being monitored. Why is this being done? According to an article from class “The goal is to automate us”, Google gathers behavioral data by getting my secret information that I do not want to be shared. Even though they did not have permission to do this, Google figured it would be easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission (“The goal is to automate us”). This helps them better predict my click patterns for targeted ads. Have you ever been talking with a friend about planning a possible trip to go to (some desired location) and all of a sudden you start to see advertisements from trip advisor to get great deals on your next trip? This happens all the time, not only to me but to millions of other people who are also being monitored by these surveillance capitalist companies. By knowing important private information such as my age, location, academic history, weight, height.. etc. Google can predict what I want before I even know I want it. This software does not consider its users as humans, they see us as numbers, potential customers and ad clickers, falling for the information they display for a profit.
I can understand monitoring potential threats and searching for terrorist activities to create a safer nation, but is it really necessary to leak my personal information so it can be bought, and resold to specific buyers trying to target me to become interested in their product? My answer is no. The source, “What is Surveillance capitalism”, says “HealthEngine, a medical appointment booking app, was found to be sharing clients’ personal information with Perth lawyers particularly interested in workplace injuries or vehicle accidents.” The problem with this is that there is no regulation. There are no policies that say you can’t share this very personal information, so what is holding these companies back from trying to make a profit? Can we really blame them? Personally, I don’t think we can. These companies are not at fault because the people running them are only human, using machines and AI to do their dirty work with no regulations or rules saying they can’t.
The second concern I have with this tech is just that. The fact that these big monopolies are taking advantage of my personal information is just not fair, and unconstitutional. The fourth amendment states, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated…” (“Right to privacy”). I believe the problem lies within the “Agree” button. When I check that box, I am knowingly digitally signing off my information and giving them the ability to take, sell, and use whatever information they deem necessary. The problem is because these companies have me in a headlock, I can do nothing else but agree to their terms and conditions, because I would not be able to do the things I need to do otherwise. One possible re-design could be to give the users the ability to set their own terms and conditions, telling the companies what they feel comfortable sharing and keeping what they don’t (medical history, credit cards, age, just to name a few). Personally, I think that because these companies are so big, and they play such an important role in the economy, the government has allowed this giant information-hungry monster to walk right by, consuming and digesting everything in its path.
This brings me to my redesign. Because we are currently in the heart of it all, it can be hard to find the door handle in a large pitch-black room. Because smartphones and the internet are so prevalent in our daily lives, it’s not like we can just drop everything and not use our tech because we are so dependent on it. Booking events in calendars, tracking physical activities, sending and receiving emails are necessities that keep our society functioning smoothly. These companies have us in a headlock, we cannot back out and they know it. The only thing we can do is implement some sort of regulation or control over who is able to see what. There have been attempts like Rand Paul’s “Fourth Amendment Restoration Act of 2013.” It reads, “The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution shall not be construed to allow any agency of the United States Government to search the phone records of Americans without a warrant based on probable cause” (The Atlantic). Although this adds some regulation to the government as a whole, this still leaves a gray area for the companies that live and breathe off their customer’s information. If the surveillance capitalist monopolies like Facebook and Google get highly regulated, limiting their ability to track their customers, this would only open more doors for smaller companies to start to do the same thing. Touching on the example from before, it is time for the consumer to have a voice and make a change within this internal democracy. Telling the companies we have had enough of their manipulation and setting our own policies that they have to follow is the only way I can see reasonable change happening in the future.
Unfortunately, having absolute control over these information-hungry companies seems unlikely, the most important thing we can do now is make sure our data is safe. Having secure folders that cannot be breached to limit security attacks such as identity thefts and credit cards are an absolute must. In reflection, as contradictory as this may sound, I do not mind my data being shared. This is coming from the perspective of a white, male, teenage college kid who has nothing to hide. As I grow older, I am sure my opinion on this matter will change, but as of now, like the security cameras, I forget about it because I am surrounded by it every day.
The Atlantic:
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/nsa-privacy-government-fixes/314487/
The goal is to automate us:
What is Surveillance capitalism:
Right to privacy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy
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