When working on Chapter 3 the most annoying thing about technology happened…my SPSS Statistics randomly shutdown and I had not saved the data I had adjusted yet. It was good practice for me to have to go back and do what I had already done, but time consuming and annoying.

Otherwise, the chapter went by really smoothly. Nothing was difficult, just a matter of following the directions. I can see how being able to transform, or manipulate the data could be very helpful when you are studying, experimenting, and researching a topic.

When I was doing my capstone brief. I found myself using things that I read from the Thyne book about asking questions and creating a thesis. This class definitely should be taken before the capstone class I can see that now.

I think that Chapter 2 in SPSS statistics is just the same as chapter 1 in terms of it  is super easy to follow. However, it feels like the training wheels were taken off in this chapter and there was a lot to learn. I think for the most  part I remembered everything that I learned in Chapter 1 without having to go back to review it, which is  always nice. Usually  my problem with technology is I will look up how to do something, or someone will teach me, but it never sticks and I have to continuously look up how to do it. For example, how to do a screen shot on a Mac. I have looked it up over 30 times, but yet sometimes I still forget. In this chapter we learned a couple of  different things it was a lot to learn, but I wouldn’t call it information overload.

I did all the reading and tutorial stuff for this chapter first, then went back and did the worksheet at a later date. I was very happy and surprised to find that I remembered how to do most things with just the little  instructions that are given in the worksheet questions. It is encouraging because that means the book is  doing a really good job teaching the material, which is pretty rare to find. I personally did not have any problems with the worksheet problems that we did I think that they are pretty state forward.

My one question would  be that if someone just asked me to find certain variables, or statistics would I know where to go and what tools to use without having any instruction? My goal by the end of this semester is to have such an understanding of SPSS statistics that I do not need step-by-step instructions.

When we first downloaded SPSS statistics and I was just poking my nose around the app it was pretty intimidating and I was not looking forward  to not only using the app, but this class. As I went through the chapter though I realized it was really not  bad at all. The book literally walks you through every single step, there are you videos you can watch that walk you through every single step, and the website is super easy to use. Once I finished walking through all the steps and watching the tutorial I was like hm is that all? I was waiting for a monster to pop out of the closet, but it never did. Then once I completed the worksheet I felt  even better. The actual application SPSS statistics is pretty easy for me to understand, I know exactly what is going on, and I think the workbook questions were super easy to answer. So I can say now that I feel better about this class and I do not feel like I have anything to worry about.

All of this reading about creating a good theory and the components that goes into it stresses me out. All I can think of, is not only the research project for this class, but also my project for my capstone class. I have gotten good ideas where to start in terms of picking my topic, but at the same time I have no idea where to start. Last year when the IS capstone class was in the spring semester I got to hear a lot of people’s capstone projects at the research symposium and some of the projects that were making a  huge contribution to the political science world were really impressive. I would love to do something that is more than just a surface level capstone project, but I feel overwhelmed with the process of what it takes in order to create a good theory and research model. I wish that I had took this class last year, so that I would have a better foundation before going into my capstone project instead of doing  them at the same time. On the bright side, we are going over the building block of everything now, whereas in my capstone class we are focusing on grand strategy right and have not looked at capstone projects at all.

My initial reaction is that I don’t want to take this class. I did not understand why we have a techniques of computer analysis as international studies students, but as we begin to start class I have a better understanding of why this class is important. I have a better understanding of why we have this class, but I am not necessarily excited about it because it  is something different and outside my comfort zone. One thing I am excited about though is the opportunity to learn more of the technology side of political science. I know that it will be a useful skill to have for my capstone class as well as for when I attend graduate skill. Also, not that everything is about skills that I can put on a resume, but I will be able to add whatever technology pieces we learn to my resume. I think my greatest concern about this class is using the application and remembering how to do everything. I would not necessarily consider myself a computer wiz or anything like that.

There have been many times in my time at VMI that studying international studies and political science that people of the formal sciences have made comments about those of the social sciences just talk about their feelings and that it  is not a real science. I agree that in many ways it almost seems unfair calling political science a science when they are off studying molecules and cell structures. It seems like we are comparing apples to oranges. That is just it though, we are, we are comparing two completely different types of science (formal science and social science), but they both contain the same four components that allow them to be considered a science. This means that it does not matter which type of science we are doing as long as we are studying it using the scientific method. Both types of science require you to take  the facts and try and interpret them in order to make some sort of advance in the scientific field. Then simply put they are both transparent and there is uncertainty in the conclusion with both. Where I do think that social scientist deserve more credit in some ways is that we are not studying a science that is black and white. It is harder to create and conduct experiments. Often times because we are dealing with people and people are not predictable it is hard to have 100% control over experiments, yet social scientists are able to adapt and improvise in order to try and create theories. I guess my point is that formal and  social sciences have different challenges, but they both are challenging.

Reflection Tag: My research essay is about privacy in the technology era. It is a definitional research paper and I spend a majority of the paper trying to show the different types of things that all fall under the category of privacy. Ultimately in my paper my opinion is that we need to protect our privacy a lot closer and there needs to be a clear definition made of what is privacy.

Download Link: ERH102-06WhatisPrivacy?

Olivia-Aman Cotton

ERH-102-06

Mrs. Smith

Help Received: The Writing Center

What is Privacy?

            Imagine a restroom in a building that has no walls and no doors. It then just becomes a corner in a room with toilets, completely exposed. The advancement of technology is a big, exposed bathroom when it comes to privacy. Everyone wants privacy, however, without doors, walls and already provided protection no one knows how to get privacy. At the same time if you have to go to the bathroom you have to use the toilet and leave yourself unprotected. Most people use social media and technology that they are aware leave them unprotected, but they make the conscious decision to sacrifice their privacy. On the other hand, there are a lot of privacy concerns that take place behind the scenes that many people do not understand. In order to understand what privacy people are entitled to, there needs to be a broader understanding of what privacy is and what falls under the category of privacy. Privacy needs to be protected because it is a right granted in the amendments to the constitution and information that falls into the wrong hands can be dangerous.

Currently, the laws and regulations do not correspond to the advancement in technology. Many reforms are in the process of being voted on, however, legislation is having trouble defining privacy and what rights to privacy need to be protected. A commonly accepted definition of privacy was created by Justice Brandeis in the Olmstead v. United States case, who states that “‘ Privacy is the right to be left alone – the most comprehensive of rights most valued by free people” (Cady 9). In the Harvard Law Review Brandeis further defines privacy as the “’right to enjoy life – the right to be let alone; the right to liberty [that] secures the exercise of extensive civil privileges: [where] the term ‘property’ has grown to comprise every possession –intangible, as well as tangible‘” (Cady 9). Although this definition was written in 1928 and 1890 it still can be applied to todays society. It is a very general definition, but can apply to everything digital, you should be able to use the device without feeling that your rights are being infringed on and without feeling you are not being left alone. When it comes to the Internet and technology people should have the right to use their technology without having to fear that they are being tracked, spied on, or their data/metadata is being used to compromise their privacy.

Among different age groups there have been differences found in attitudes relating to privacy. A study was done in The Netherlands by Tilburg University that found that “adolescents are less concerned about their privacy than young adults and adults. However, all three age categories reported that privacy was a lesser concern than both freedom and security” (Steijn 299). There is no exact science that can determine why these age groups have different feelings, but as you get older you have more valuable information. In the adolescent age using social media and technology seems harmless. As someone gets older and acquires credit cards, a social security number, and more personal information is being asked for in order to have full access to websites you realize that this information could be used in extremely harmful ways. Part of this is just experience, someone might have experience being hacked online, identity theft, or someone trying to steal their credit information. Witnessing or involvement in these events is going to make someone more cautious and they will begin to understand reliable websites from risk factors. In an interview done with another cadet Jameson Donahue, he states that, “there is no real privacy when it comes to technology. There is always a way for someone to figure who is posting what, so you should always be careful what you are posting” (Donahue). This is an example of a young adult accepting that there is very little privacy when it comes to technology, at the same time they are all still willing to use the technology but they just tell themselves to be careful. Donahue also, states that “[he] believes if someone is using a website where they believe it is private then it should be private. So companies should ensure their clients privacy as long as it does not endanger others” (Donahue). This is an interesting point that Donahue brings up, the difference between what privacy people are getting versus the reality. “In a study done with 60 online social networks (OSNs) it was found that many people acknowledge they are giving up some privacy and forty-five percent do not even take the time to read the privacy policy” (Kuzma 74). According to the study almost half of the users of OSN are not even aware of sites privacy policies. Users information could be shared with third parties or there could be very little policies protecting someone from harmful material, or exposure. Users of the internet and technology need to be aware of how important it is to read the privacy and policy agreements to know how much they are sacrificing by using the website or device.

As it relates to privacy versus security, I think many people do not realize what is the balance between the two. As technology advances so does the ability to keep tabs on people. After the 9/11 attack, the United States passed the Patriot Act, which increased security in the United States and made it legal for the government to do wiretaps, searches business records, and get access to phone record information without a court order if they believed the person was deemed to be a threat. Eventually, President Obama expanded the Patriot Act to include metadata under section 215 of the Patriot Act. Metadata for those that do not know is, “data about data. It is descriptive information about a particular data set, object, or resource, including how it is formatted, and when and by whom it was collected” (What is metadata?). According to the Harvard Law Review “Congress intended there to be a broad standard in section 215”, but at the same time it also “[acknowledges] that the metadata program is more expansive than existing precedent has permitted“ (National Security 1874). Many people believe that metadata is harmless, but in the hands of the right person it is extremely dangerous. Metadata can track what websites you visit, what you are buying, where you are location wise. Although the government can use this to closely track people and eliminate threats, it can also be used to interfere with people’s lives. Cookies is an example of metadata that affects everyone. “Cookies is a data collecting mechanism that is constantly tracking the number of times someone visits a website, what websites they are visiting, noting any patterns, and recording what they are buying. This information then can be sent to third parties where they can gain access of your information and it can be used for targeted advertisement or the information could just be shared” (Kuzma 76). Targeted advertisements seem harmless, but if someone knows how they could develop software that is tracking credit cards or social security numbers and this runs into a much bigger issue. Recently there was a breech in the IRS. A cyber attack occurred where many people’s information was obtained. The IRS, who has stronger protection than these OSNs, is not immune so OSN’s with weak privacy policies are definitely not immune.

People are free to say whatever they want on social media and use technology as they please. That is one of the benefits of social media and technology. It is often an outlet for people to be creative, express their feelings, have fun, or communicate. The only catch us it cannot be harmful, or hurt to anyone else. There are some steps towards protection of privacy that have been taken. A very interesting aspect of privacy mentioned by Richards in Compulsory Process in Cyberspace: Rethinking Privacy in the Social Networking Age is that people’s privacy in terms of the first amendment and freedom of speech needs to be protected. The article gave two examples that stood out. The first was someone had posted a twitter post that the police considered a direct threat towards them when they subpoena twitter, twitter reviewed the tweet and then denied the police the twitter account because they believed it went against their privacy policy and the tweet was not a direct threat towards the government, police, or anyone, but an act of free speech. The second situation was the case with Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. They tried to use his twitter account to prove that he was capable of putting the officer in harms way based on previous actions or words. Trayvon Martin who no longer could defend himself in court or explain himself was going to be defamed by the government based off of his social media profile. By many this was considered a violation of his privacy, even after death. And there actually laws that protect people’s privacy after death.

An aspect of privacy that many people neglect to think about it is the self right to privacy. In order to prevent self-inflicted harm the unwritten rule on OSN is: do not post anything that you would not want your mom to see. “Many people are not aware of the digital footprint we leave and once something is posted online it can never truly be erased. Once it is posted a user loses a large portion of control of what happens to it. The posting is then shared with not just your friends, but your friend’s followers as well” (YÜKSEL 768). Someone can screenshot the posting and send it to whomever they like. In extreme cases someone will steal someone’s pictures and identity to catfish someone else, which is identity theft and a huge invasion of privacy. “People seeing information that you did not intend for them to see, because a user thought it was a private or secure conversation, or website can potentially ruin someone’s reputation” (YÜKSEL 768). Depending on the degree that someone’s reputation is harmed and if it was self-inflicted or the results of cyber bullying, harassment, or weak privacy policies it can be considered defamation of character and the matter could be taken to court. “Unless it is a case of self-exposure anytime that someone else posts an unauthorized picture, video, or word posting about you that is harmful is considered a violation of privacy and can be evaluated legally” (Greenberg 696). However, in most cases it is not taken to court or legal matters because, “people follow an unspoken code of managing privacy. If you don’t want to be associated with something you can un-tag yourself, remove a post from your page, un-follow, or block someone. And there are settings as a user that can be set that can limit who can see posts and if one’s profile is public or private” (Greenberg 694). It is important to use proper digital etiquette when using the Internet in order to keep social media and online friendly and keep everyone’s business as private as they want it to be kept. Also, because privacy is not guaranteed when it comes to anything posted online or done with technology it is important to be cautious with everything that is done.

With the job market so tight, it allows for employers to be extremely selective with whom they employ and social media is starting to play a key factor in their decisions. As an employee, you are a reflection of your company and so it is fair that they would want to see what there employees are doing and that they are an asset to their company versus harming their image. However, when employees have privacy settings that do not allow their employers too see everything employers are digging deeper. They are requesting username and passwords, friend requesting, or finding another way to view more information. Because this is a new issue, there are no laws or regulations against it: however, it raises a giant red flag of protecting employee’s right to privacy (Baumhart). To many this is a very clear invasion of privacy, however, the companies can get away with because of the pressure of finding a job. This places a lot of pressure on employees because they are being forced to give up their right to privacy, if they want a job. Although someone’s online profile is not a direct reflection of their ability to do a job, employers should only have access to what anyone in the public has access to.

Privacy is a very complicated topic, especially when discussing social networks and technologies. Part of the reason why it is so difficult is because there is not clear definition of what privacy is in relation to digital technologies and OSNs. Very simply put though privacy should allow you to live your life without fear and without being bothered. Because privacy is not the top concern, but safety and freedom that probably contributes to why there are no laws and regulations set in stone about privacy. Just to reiterate as technology advances so does the need for privacy. Currently there are few laws that protect privacy, but more that grant the government a way to invade privacy. The Patriot Act and the addition of metadata to section 215 is a huge matter of legislation that needs to be revised. Metadata if in the wrong hands can be extremely dangerous and harmful. Other aspects of privacy also include the right to freedom of speech and a networks responsibility to protect that, the right to privacy after death, the right to privacy from harmful and hurtful material, and the right to the privacy of your username and password. These are all different aspects of privacy that help to outline the need for more laws and regulations and a clear definition of privacy.

Works Cited

Baumhart, Peter B. “Social Media and the Job Market: How to Reconcile Applicant Privacy with Employer Needs.” University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform 48.2 (2015): 503-33. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Cady, Glee H, and Pat McGregor. Protect Your Digital Privacy!: Survival Skills for the Information Age. Indianapolis, Ind.: Que, 2002. Internet resource.

Donahue, Jameson. Personal Interview. 10 April 2016.

Greenberg, Joshua M. “The Privacy-proof Plaintiff: But First, Let Me Share Your #selfie.” Journal of Law & Policy 23.2 (2015): 689-740. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Kuzma, Joanne. “Empirical Study of Privacy Issues among Social Networking Sites.” Journal of International Commercial Law & Technology 6.2 (2011): 74-85. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

“National Security — Telephony Metadata Collection — White Paper Argues Metadata Collection Is Legal under the Usa Patriot Act.” Harvard Law Review 127.6 (2014): 1871-878. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

Richards, Robert D. “Compulsory Process in Cyberspace: Rethinking Privacy in the Social Networking Age.” Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy 36.2 (2013): 519-48. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.

Steijn, Wouter M. P., and Anton Vedder. “Privacy Concerns, Dead or Misunderstood? The Perceptions of Privacy amongst the Young and Old.” Information Polity: The International Journal of Government & Democracy in the Information Age 20.4 (2015): 299-311. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

“What Is Metadata?” Indiana University: Knowledge Base. 24 Aug. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.

YÜKSEL, Mehmet Erkan, Asİm Sinan YÜKSEL, and Abdül Halim ZAİM. “A Reputation-based Privacy Management System for Social Networking Sites.” Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences 21.3 (2013): 766-84. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Reflection Tag: The Exploratory essay was very similar to the Annotated Bibliography. It was a very personal essay that you reflected on the sources, why you chose them, how they changed your thinking towards your  topic, and  if  it made you want to explore any topics further. This essay was another step towards setting us  up for our research essay’s.

Download Link: ExploritoryEssayRevision

Olivia-Aman Cotton

ERH-102-06

Mrs. Smith

Help Received: None

Exploratory Essay: Privacy

            Do you ever feel like you are being watched? I would tell someone who does they are paranoid, but they just might be on to something. With technology advancing, so is the ability to spy on people, or invade people’s privacy. Being college students, I am sure that most of us have laptops and probably most have laptops with cameras already built in. How would it make you feel if I said the government has the knowledge to hack into your operating system and turn on your camera and watch you, without your knowledge? It seems like an invasion of privacy to me, but some people do not see it that way. I planned on writing my exploratory essay on why we need more laws protecting people’s privacy, but as I started doing more research it occurred to me that it would be difficult for laws to be made about privacy when no one has defined what privacy is in the digital age. The question I am exploring in this essay is, what is privacy?

My first source is by Joanne Kuzma and is titled “Empirical Study of Privacy Issues among Social Networking Sites”. I started with this source because I think it talks about two of the most important issues of privacy: the fact that no one pays attention to privacy policies and how our privacy is always being invaded without people’s knowledge. This source is a study that was done with 60 online social networks (OSNs). The results of this study found that many people know they are giving up some privacy and forty-five percent do not even take the time to read the policy. Different Social Networks offer different types of privacy, but people don’t take advantage of this privacy was also mentioned. Something very important that was discussed was metadata collection. It referred specifically to cookies, which is a software that is tracking the number of times someone visits a website, what websites they are visiting, noting any patterns, and recording what they are buying. This information can then be sent to third parties and it can be used for targeted advertisement, or if it falls in the wrong hands can lead to things like credit card theft and identity theft. This source was extremely enlightening to how many people do not even pay attention to privacy policies. If people aren’t concerned about their own privacy, how can anyone expect the government to be worried about making changes to protect people’s privacy? I think that I need to look more into the metadata issue and cookies to really understand it. It seems like a very scary concept that someone is literally tracking our every move even if it is just little things, such as how many times I check my E-mail a day.

My second source is by Mehmet Erkan YUKSEL, Asim Sinan YUKSEL, and Abdul Halim ZAIM. The article is titled “A Reputation-based Privacy Management System for Social Networking Sites. I picked this source because it discusses the digital footprint we leave anytime something enters the Internet and people loosing control over something once they post it. The source discusses how once you post something online it can never truly be deleted. Also, once you post you lose a lot of control over what happens to it, people will share your posts with their friends, people might screenshot it, and in the most extreme cases it could be used for identity theft. In many cases people’s reputations are hurt when they post or say something online that they expect to be private and it ends up being publicized. I agree with everything in this source. It makes me realize two things: because you can never erase something put on the Internet it is important to be cautious with everything that is posted. Also, I think it is a huge invasion of privacy if you send someone a private message and they end up publicizing it, or someone in an authoritative position gets control of it. Something I might want to look into is what are the laws and regulations when it comes to government figures acquiring people’s online material. Also, what are the cyber bullying policies when it comes to privacy.

My third source is by Robert Richards and is titled “Compulsory Process in Cyberspace: Rethinking Privacy in the Social Networking Age”. I picked this article because it brings the constitution into the picture. This article mentions privacy in terms of the first amendment and freedom of speech and how it needs to be protected. It discusses how people are free to say whatever they want as long as it is not harmful to anyone. The government also, is not the deterrent of what is a threat, or harmful and social networks need to protect users privacy in that way. Two important examples this article gives is Twitter denying the police the right to access one of its users profile because they believe they guy was threatening the police, when he was just exercising his right to freedom of speech. The second example was regarding the Trayvon Martin and Zimmerman case and brought to light the huge concern for privacy even after death and how that should be respected. I am really glad that Twitter denied the Police the right to look through the person’s profile. I think it is a good example of privacy being protected, however, I know this is often not the case. I think I might want to look into cases where the government harassed someone via social media to prove why this form of privacy is so important.

My fourth source is by Joshua Greenberg and is titled, “The privacy-proof Plaintiff: But First, Let Me Share Your #selfie”. I picked this article because it discusses how you can sacrifice your own right to privacy. This article discusses self-exposure and anytime you post something of yourself that is harmful, or used against you, you sacrificed your right to privacy when posting it. However, if someone else post something unauthorized picture, video, or word posting and it is harmful this is an invasion of privacy and can be a legal matter. In many cases, people just follow an unspoken code of privacy and just un-tag themselves from something or remove a post from their page if they do not want it there. I would have to disagree that there is really a code. People post things without permission on the daily, and some sights it is not that easy to un-tag or remove something that you didn’t post, because it almost there right to have it on their page. I think self-exposure is an interesting concept I never thought that anytime I post something I am sacrificing my right to privacy. I think that for my research essay I could explore the idea of self-exposure and privacy more because this is a very different aspect of maintaining one’s privacy.

My fifth source is Peter Baumhart and is titled, “ Social Media and the Job Market: How to reconcile Applicant Privacy with Employer Needs”. I picked this article because it present a new privacy issues that has not even been legally discussed yet. This article discusses how the job market is so tight that employers can be picky. Now employers are using social media as a deciding factor for their employees and requesting usernames and passwords from their potential and current employees. Because there are no laws against it, companies are allowed to do this, however, everyone is aware it raises a big red flag for invasion of privacy. I think this is insane. I do not think that I would want to work for a boss that was requesting such info, so I would not give it to my employer. I am hoping that this issue is evaluated right away, because it is a huge invasion of privacy and everyone should have the right to security of his or her own username and password information. I could investigate this case further, or I could look at more issues that have been brought to surface with the advancement of technology for my research paper.

Currently, I am thinking that I don’t know nearly enough about privacy. I feel like it is hard to take a stance on the issue because it is so complex. There are many different forms of privacy so I am not sure that one definition of privacy will ever suffice. I think that there might need to be multiple definitions for different solutions. Originally, I wanted to find a solution to the privacy problem, but it is far more complex then I thought and I don’t think that I am going to be able to come up with a solution. I think I am going to have to do more research about privacy before I can really come up with a thesis for my research paper. I do know for a fact that I believe we need more acts toward preserving privacy.

Works Cited

Baumhart, Peter B. “Social Media and the Job Market: How to Reconcile Applicant Privacy with Employer Needs.” University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform 48.2 (2015): 503-33. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Greenberg, Joshua M. “The Privacy-proof Plaintiff: But First, Let Me Share Your #selfie.” Journal of Law & Policy 23.2 (2015): 689-740. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Kuzma, Joanne. “Empirical Study of Privacy Issues among Social Networking Sites.” Journal of International Commercial Law & Technology 6.2 (2011): 74-85. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Richards, Robert D. “Compulsory Process in Cyberspace: Rethinking Privacy in the Social Networking Age.” Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy 36.2 (2013): 519-48. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.

YÜKSEL, Mehmet Erkan, Asİm Sinan YÜKSEL, and Abdül Halim ZAİM. “A Reputation-based Privacy Management System for Social Networking Sites.” Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences 21.3 (2013): 766-84. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Reflection Tag: This annotated Bibliography was a starting point for the research required for the exploratory and research essay. It allowed you to really evaluate your sources and develop opinions about them, which in turn would develop your thesis. This was very helpful in helping  to organize my thoughts about technology and privacy.

Download Link: ERH102-06AnnotatedBibliography

Olivia-Aman Cotton

ERH-102-06

Mrs. Smith

Help Received: None

Annotated Bibliography

1. Kuzma, Joanne. “Empirical Study of Privacy Issues among Social Networking Sites.” Journal of International Commercial Law & Technology2 (2011): 74-85. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

This article is the result of a study done with sixty online social networking sights (OSNs). These OSNs are evaluated based on different privacy factors. A study done in 2009 found that forty-five percent of people do not even read the privacy policies. Many people accept that they are giving up some of their privacy when signing up for these sights, but are not fully aware of what privacy they are sacrificing. Data collecting mechanisms is discussed in this article because software, such as cookies, is constantly tracking the number of times a user is visiting a website, what website they are visiting, and what they are buying. Third Parties can gain access to this information and it can be used for targeted advertisement or private information can be shared this way.

Most people claim that they are concerned with privacy, but almost half the population does not read their rights to privacy when signing up for these social networking sights. Which I think highlight the point that people a re not really concerned about the weak privacy, because they know they give up privacy when creating an account. However, I think it is the unknown software and beacons that people don’t know about that are extremely harmful, because it is tracking your information and can release secure to an unwanted party without your knowledge.

I will use the data provided about the percentage of people who do not actually read the privacy policy as a counter argument \ to raise the issue that many people are not as concerned as with privacy as they claim. I also want to use the information about cookies and beacons as a support to my argument that many people do not truly understand the power of the Internet and software and many people might feel protected with the privacy policies provided, but it might not be the social networking sight that is the problem.

2. YÜKSEL, Mehmet Erkan, Asİm Sinan YÜKSEL, and Abdül Halim ZAİM. “A Reputation-based Privacy Management System for Social Networking Sites.” Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences3 (2013): 766-84. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

This article states the well-known problem that, once one puts something on the Internet it is on there forever. With social networking expanding many people are taking advantage of the ability to share anything online, however, information that is not meant for the public often can be found or seen online if someone knows how to find it. People seeing information that you do not want them to can hurt your reputation, or worse it could be dangerous if in the wrong hands. This article has a solution which is an algorithm that can be installed into these programs which creates like circles of friends that you are apart of that only allows certain groups to see certain information. It also would increase the amount of privacy because you would have more control over who exactly can see what on your profile.

I think that people believe that once you delete something it is gone and do not understand the concept of a digital footprint. It is cool that technology has increased communication and allows new people to meet but this also means people you don’t want to see can view your profile. We can post and share whatever online, but at the same time it is important to be careful what is posted because our social media profiles will follow us in the real world. Especially, with employers checking on potential employees or their current employees social medias. I think that there algorithm has a lot of potential but it also leaves it up to the user to take advantage of this privacy feature, which many people do not use the current ones there are.

The information about sharing data online and how it can be viewed by anyone is useful. It brings up a good point that people often forget if it was posted online it will never truly disappear and that is why it is so important to be careful what we post because that is our reputations. If I wanted to provide a possible solution to some of these privacy issues I could bring up the algorithm and details regarding how it works.

3. Baumhart, Peter B. “Social Media and the Job Market: How to Reconcile Applicant Privacy with Employer Needs.” University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform 48.2 (2015): 503-33. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Employers are starting to check social media of their employees and potential employees. Many people don’t worry because they have settings that they think protect them, only allowing employers to see what they want them to see, however, employers are digging deeper and requesting usernames and passwords, friend requesting, or finding a way to view the complete profile. The job market being so small employees are able to be picky about whom they hire and your social media profile could be the difference between getting a job and not getting a job. This issue raises another concern in terms of privacy, should employees be allowed to request your information, or should they only have access to what the public has access to.

I understand that employees are a reflection of the company; I do not think that employers should be allowed to dig deeper than whatever the employees allows them to see. Your personal life and right to privacy I think includes your social media and I do not think that that should be held against someone. At the same time, if an employer is able to find information in a legal manner when the person posted it on the web it no longer became private and they have to understand that. This I think brings up a new aspect of privacy. Not just privacy settings, but applying social media to real life.

I think this article is beneficial to my argument because it brings up another side of privacy. With technology advancing so quickly there are very few laws or rules about what is acceptable and what is an invasion of privacy. This brings up a good point also, that people forget that what they do on social media can have a real impact on someone lives and that things that are meant to stay private should not be placed on social media period. Part of the privacy aspect of social media is just about being smart and that is what employers are searching for.

4. Greenberg, Joshua M. “The Privacy-proof Plaintiff: But First, Let Me Share Your #selfie.” Journal of Law & Policy 23.2 (2015): 689-740. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

This article discusses more the litigation side of privacy and how violation of privacy can be viewed under the law. There is an unspoken code of managing privacy among social media users. If you don’t want to be associated with something you can un-tag yourself, remove posts of your page, follow, un-follow, or block another user as well. It states how posting something of yourself that somehow spreads or becomes public is not a violation of privacy. We share things with the intent that all our followers, and followers of our followers are going to see it; it is called self-exposure and eliminates your right to privacy. However, if someone else posts harmful or hurtful material of another person without his or her consent that then can become a violation of privacy.

I agree that generally you post something on social media to get as many likes or people to see it as you can, so it would make sense that in this sense you give up privacy. It also makes sense that anything that you post without privacy settings would be self-exposure and in a sense marketing yourself and your own image. The part that gets cloudy is when someone else posts something of you without consent, or someone is harming or hurting your image. What measures then can be taken because violating someone else’s privacy so that information they did not intend for everyone else can be considered bullying, or can easily turn into a life threatening situation.

I think this article would be useful for my essay because of the idea of self-exposure and understanding that if you get yourself into trouble there is very little the law can help you with, but there are measures that can be taken when someone else invades your privacy. If I want to take the law aspect from the article it does have very specific detail relating to the law and what is acceptable and inacceptable. This provides another example of another version of privacy in a sense and how you can rid the right to your own privacy.

5. Richards, Robert D. “Compulsory Process in Cyberspace: Rethinking Privacy in the Social Networking Age.” Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy 36.2 (2013): 519-48. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.

This article also talks about privacy from a law standpoint and what action can be taken. It mentions that the current laws and regulations we have might be outdated considering the pace technology is moving at. It talks about the dangers of invading people’s privacy by not holding to the first amendment, which is freedom of speech. It gives two examples that stand out to me an example on twitter where the police tried to subpoena twitter to find out who made a certain comment. Twitter denied to allow them access because upon review did not find it to be a threatening situation and believed they had the freedom to say what they did. The second one was the case with Zimmerman they wanted to use his twitter and social media’s to make it appear that he was capable of threatening the officer. Essentially, they wanted to use the dead child’s social media to defame his character and use his freedom of speech against him.

This article brings up a problem that is very commonly struggled with, when is it okay to invade someone’s privacy, when is a threat considered dangerous enough that the someone’s private information should be released. Should someone’s freedom of speech on social media then be allowed to be used against them in a court, or to build a profile? The case with Zimmerman brings up a point of privacy after someone is dead should someone’s social media be allowed to be used in courts or against them when they cannot defend themselves. And should these websites be allowed to tell police and government agencies no if they believe it is a violation of privacy. I am personally on the side of privacy so I think that people’s protection of their freedom of speech and right to post on social media should be protected.

This article can be used in my research as another vantage point of what is privacy and what do we need to do to protect it. It brings up the first amendment and how freedom of speech also applies to social media. This is important when analyzing what kinds of things are considered hurtful, harmful, or a threat. And when is a threat so dangerous that a privacy policy needs to be violated versus the police believing there is a threat and using it as an opportunity to invade someone’s privacy.