pri·va·cy
–noun, plural -cies.
the state of being free from intrusion or disturbance in one's private life or affairs: the right to privacy.
The idea of “Right to Privacy” has always been a hot topic in this country in varying degrees. From political privacy (secrecy in voter’s choice), medical privacy (guarded control of personal health knowledge), and sexual privacy (the right to privately choose contraceptives, etc.), to physical privacy (unreasonable search and seizure or visual exposure into one’s personal space), the word privacy brings a buzz with it. As technology has progressed, so have the opportunities to invade privacy, and with that the concerns on how to protect it. Most recently, Facial Recognition software has entered the mix.
To start, just the idea of facial recognition software is actually quite mind-blowing (the capabilities of technology often amaze me), but the truth is, this is a hugely useful tool for law enforcement, and also the occasional TV Show (BONES frequently utilizes – though probably fictionally enhanced – facial recognition software). Now, facial recognition is on its way to online ubiquity.
Imagine a person tracking your life and online activities just by inserting a snap shot of you into a system. How many pictures have you taken in your life? Do you remember them all? Have you kept track of them? Your answers are probably, “thousands, no, and I wish I did now.” Currently, on Facebook, the “untag” gets rid – on a shallow level – of those unwanted pictures. With facial recognition, those pictures are essentially un-ditchable.
I would say, “this is an outrage!” or “how can this be legal?” or “unfair and preposterous, I demand online privacy!” but really, privacy – of all kinds – comes down to a choice. We feel that our privacy has been violated when we have not had the chance to control whether our personal and intimate information or moments are shared. On the Internet, I believe it is a different case. Although there are online privacy rules and settings, it is common knowledge that everything placed on an online tool can be vulnerable to others accessing it.
Everything about you that you place online yourself was your choice. When a facial recognition program finds all of it, I do not believe this is a violation of privacy. It was your choice to place that online to begin with. It seems an obvious assumption that your uploads, once complete, are now open for international access.
Besides, this is just the first stop in the frontier of facial recognition software. The next ones are even more mind-blowing. Imagine the possibilities if a computer could not only recognize you, but also understand the emotions you were feeling at that moment? Science fiction stuff? Nope! Check out this link:
I agree with the whole "it's our fault" idea. Honestly if you or someone you know has a facebook or any type of social network with pictures, privacy is out the window. If you really want privacy then having your name and pictures on a site is not your place. There are regulations and rules to every social network but none of us really read them. We mostly scroll down and agree to the rules without much thought.
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