Freaking Out Over Privacy

• How do these issues affect you? You friends and family?

These issues affect me by leaking personal data about my day to day activity through location sharing services, license plate tracking and no real SMS encryption that is promised with SMS messages and other messaging platforms such as WhatsApp. For my friends and family this affects them since, for example in the second Ted Talk video, it discusses how police cars and other license plate readers at intersections can be useful, but also harmful. Even if you have done no wrongdoings for the police to come after you, they store this information "just in case" something happens in the future. Unfortunately, the government does not pick and choose as to what information they hold it is within hundred of thousands of people who are not even aware that their license plates are being used in such a way. An example that was given in the video was that there was a guy who went to the station about this and there were photos of him and his daughters in the driveway of their own home. This is super dangerous because everyone knows where you are and who you are with. 

• What should the government be doing about these issues?

The Government should be using the these technologies only in a case of wrongdoing or absolute necessity not just withholding information to make their lives easier. There was an example given in the third Ted Talk video where using SMS and location tracking to make sure that terrorists, stalkers and other bad people do not commit the crimes they do, but government still keeps this just in case someone becomes a bad apple. They should be picking one choosing instead of having literal databases of citizens casually traveling to the grocery everyday. 

• What can we do to protect ourselves from invasions of our privacy? 
  

What we can do is turn off location services, cookies, any tracking or super personal information. Make fake email accounts with a name for spam and a photo that isn't you. Make sure to secure your social media with second hand authentication, so that hackers cannot access your account and then more information. Always report suspicious activity as well, despot the police being against us to an extent, it is important reach out when an actual threat is in place. Lastly, cover your computer camera as having it open and in access can let hackers put a face to a name, for a not so good answer.