Does privacy exist anymore – On January 6, 2021, the world watched as hundreds of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Many of those rioters were armed, and their seditious actions were recorded by countless reporters and civilians with camera phones alike.
Even just a decade ago, law enforcement officials may have had a difficult time identifying the guilty parties. But in our modern digital world, matching the faces of gleeful rioters with online profiles, resulting in positive identifications and arrests, is effectively child’s play.
In fact, the man photographed casually sitting in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, his feet propped on her desk, was quickly identified as 60-year-old Richard Barnett, a resident of Arkansas. And according to BBC News, “he was easy to find.”
While the swift identification and arrest of the Capitol protesters are of course beneficial to society, it’s also a stark reminder that no modern global citizen can expect to remain anonymous. Personal privacy may no longer be possible when we are all connected by social media and monitored via recording devices that saturate various public spaces. What’s more, our data is susceptible to breaches of various sizes, especially when stored on cloud servers. And there’s not much we can do to stop an online data breach.
Protect your privacy – So, as we navigate an uncertain future post-COVID, is there anything we can do to keep your privacy private? Where do social media and law enforcement fit into the big picture?
The Surveillance State: Stranger than Fiction?
Once relegated to the realm of science fiction, the constant surveillance of average citizens is very real today. As of August 2020, there were an estimated 770 million closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance cameras in use around the world. More than half of those cameras are located in mainland China, with London also breaking into the top 10 most surveilled cities in the world.
Proponents of public CCTV cameras claim that the devices result in reduced crime rates, and can even help control outbreaks with the help of facial recognition tech. Yet research indicates that there is little correlation between camera installation and a lower crime index. As a result, the use of facial recognition technology has been banned in several major cities, including San Francisco, due to privacy concerns.
Unfortunately, however, it’s not only law enforcement and municipal governments that are harnessing contemporary surveillance methods. To wit: Dashcams installed in personal vehicles have become increasingly ubiquitous over the last few years. Dashcams have various benefits, as they can help guard against theft and vandalism, provide evidence for insurance claims, and more.
Yet the legality of dashcams is complex and can differ widely depending on one’s location. In some areas, the use of dashboard-installed cameras may even conflict with electronic surveillance laws. For example, Verizon Connect reports that U.S. states including California, Illinois, and Washington require the permission of every person being recorded by both voice and film, not only the driver. This includes other drivers, passersby, and even potential thieves and vandals. Those using dashcams, no matter the reason, should thus be mindful of local laws regarding electronic surveillance.
Regarding Online Footprints and Cell Phone Data
But what about other forms of surveillance, that are even more personal than CCTV monitoring and dash cams? Consider the amount of personal data on individual smartphones — from banking apps to social media, our phones contain an exorbitant amount of information that should be private. Of course, that’s not always the reality, and in some cases, law enforcement may even be able to access cell phone data without the knowledge of individual users.
Recently in Richland County, South Carolina, the sheriff’s department was involved in a questionable practice known as “tower dumping,” in which they attempted to acquire all cell phone data within a specific time frame. Tower dumping makes no distinction between cell phone customers who have committed a crime and those who have not. The practice is clearly an invasion of privacy, yet it persists in many areas.
As more and more citizens become aware of the myriad ways in which our data can be collected and utilized, it’s clear that we need to take steps to better protect that data. Individual citizens from all walks of life must remain vigilant and mindful of the information we share online. Consider boosting privacy settings on all social media and online accounts, and be on the lookout for signs of a data breach or similar event.
Understanding the Impact of Data Breaches
The unfortunate reality is that data breaches have become so common that they’re effectively a non-issue. As of 2019, the public interest in subjects such as “hacking” and “breach” has essentially come to a standstill. At the same time, media coverage of data breaches and similar cybersecurity topics has also seen a steady decline.
That fact needs to change if global citizens have any hope of enjoying personal privacy. It’s also important to note that private citizens are not the only ones who are subject to data breaches. The U.S. Treasury Department was hit by hackers as recently as December 2020, and the data breach took place over several months. Yet the breach was overshadowed in the media by more pressing matters, notably the continued spread of COVID-19.
Although there’s little indication that taxpayer information was compromised during the breach, dozens of email accounts were accessed. Investigators further believe that treasury department encryption keys were also targeted by online thieves. And if governmental offices can be breached by hackers, everyday citizens must be prepared for similar events.
Key Takeaways
As Google, Facebook, and similar companies have access to an exorbitant amount of our data, it’s naive to expect complete privacy. Yet that doesn’t mean that we should allow law enforcement and similar entities unfiltered access to our personal lives.
On the other end of electronic surveillance, however, is the information we provide freely. Those who are concerned about privacy must be mindful of what types of information we put online, as well as how that data can be accessed, legally or otherwise.
