Social Networks, No Privacy and What Rights?

Social Networks, No Privacy and What Rights?

“Privacy is the fountainhead of all other rights. Freedom of speech doesn’t have a lot of meaning if you can’t have a quiet space. A space within yourself, within your mind, within the community of your friends, within your home, to decide what it is you actually want to say.”   Edward Snowdon

“Privacy isn’t about something to hide. Privacy is about something to protect. And that’s who you are. That’s what you believe in. That’s who you want to become. Privacy is the right to the self. Privacy is what gives you the ability to share with the world who you are on your own terms.”  Edward Snowdown

 

The same laws that apply to stealing people's paper mail should be applied to all online communication and behaviors. Tradition permission giving don't read the fine print check the box privacy sign overs to social media giants should not exist now in light of the fact that nobody writes letters or uses paper mail, that all communication basically happens online and on smartphones/ iphones. The level of tracking and information gathering possible NOW in contemporary communications doesn't preclude our rights to private communication and even shopping behavior (like, out of catalogues the way we used to). The laws didn't move quickly enough, the whole thing came upon us so quickly, the internet was far faster than us. 

When all that matters is money, every opportunity, no matter how truly evil, to harvest all available resources for personal profit at other's expense is the natural and normalized default. 

We've adapted quickly to a belief in the inevitability of everything that is happening to us via corporations. We're powerless and maybe we are, and can only mitigate damage or withdraw completely.

I just don't see the difference between a company stealing and reading and using information about us from our paper door to door old style mail, to enrich themselves without our permission/knowledge/full understanding. Being robbed always feels like a violation

Also, the potential for misuse of the material. Foreign governments I guess, I'm more concerned about our own future governments. Right now it's about advertising (post 9-11 I think it's a lot more than that) but our information has the potential for a far darker and more nefarious purpose under authoritarianism or fascism. In fact, now, neo liberal economics and corporate totalitarianism. Things are pretty unstable, I"m not comfortable with my data existing at all, it's a goldmine financially but it could be a seriously dangerous resource in the wrong hands.