Reading Assignment #5

The last reading report is titled “The End of Privacy” which was written by Daniel Solove, and published in Scientific American in September of 2008.  The article begins discussing the famous “Star Wars Kid” who became famous on accident because of a video that went viral all over the internet of the kid trying to choreograph the moves from the movie “Star Wars” and ends up tripping and falling.  It explains that with the internet if one person shoots it, the whole world can view it, if the video is ever in the wrong hands and uploaded to the internet.

The article next focuses on what Solove calls the kids growing up today “Generation Google” because kids could practically “Google” everything they need to know.  He discusses how before the internet was created and became popular gossip spread through word of mouth, and now it can be spread over the internet which reaches a wider audience.  Certain examples he uses is a web site called “Don’t Date Him Girl” which allows women to post complaints about the men they have dated with their real names and photos.  Solove also mentions that now everyone can trace your activity and compromise your privacy.  Anyone from your credit card agency to government agencies.  

The next section of the article discusses how reputations can be damaged now because with the openness of the internet information is stored virtually forever on it.  “Generation Google” members might be limited because of something they did years ago might end up arising again later in life and affecting them career wise.

The remainder of the article talks about if and how we can get our privacy back.  Solove tells about the changes of Facebook over the years, and argues that it is not really privacy that is being violated but the ease of accessibility of personal information.  He claims that this issue can be fixed with changes in laws like in Canada and Europe.

The article does hit many good points.  However, trying to control privacy and crack down on the accessibility is not going to be easy and probably virtually impossible.  We, the United States, let it get out of control and now it may be to late to fix the problem.  I agree with Solove that we are in a generation now where privacy is no longer a luxury we have and we have to be careful because something posted now on the internet could destroy us later on in life.  Something that started off being created for fun, like Facebook, has turned into a disaster for people who want privacy.  In some ways our society ask for it, but in others, the government should have stepped in to help counteract the problem, like in other countries.