P2 Context

Safeguarding Privacy in a New World of Hyper Surveillance


According to wikipedia.org, which is constructed by the voice of the people, the definition of Net Neutrality is defined as “a broadband network free of restrictions on the kinds of equipment that may be attached on the modes of communication, where communication is not unreasonably degraded by other communication streams.”

Breaking down and analyzing this context of this quote is the fundamental basis of our video research podcast. Many large companies are data mining information about consumers and selling it off to other companies for mass profits. Such information consists of personal addresses, contact addresses, consumer purchases, and much more. All this data created and sold for what? Companies want market data to analyze and predict consumer trends.

Are companies safeguarding the data they are collecting or are they exploiting them to other firms globally? What about the thought of companies knowing more about you than you know about yourself?

It is easy for companies to data mine behind our backs since they hold all the keys. In exchange for offering ‘free’ services (We say ‘free’ because there is an opportunity cost), we must forgo personal information. Some individuals are unaware of what the consequences are. May we refresh your memory of telemarketers. Using a contest form as an example; Before the internet, one would have to fill out a sheet in which you place your name, address, and phone number. After the contest is done, this information is sold off to telemarketing companies, which in turn call your house or send ads in your mail. Similarly today, filling out online contests forms or downloading software that requires some sort of registration is collected, organized, and marketed off to other companies-Which coincidentally, your new e-mail inbox is later cluttered by advertisements and viruses. This example is minimal compared to the power these companies have with this information.

The real question we, as users, are faced with is, how much is too much is too much before our identities are completely lost in translation over the internet by money hungry fascist corporations? Our time to act is now.


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