Privacy is an interesting topic in our modern society, and it's concept has changed tremendously in the last decades. Privacy is something that's harder and harder to keep in control of as an individual, to the point where you can wonder if it's still a basic right for the people in this day and age. There are camera's in the street, the government can check where we are constantly by every payment we do with our debit- or credit cards, they can check our whereabouts by tracking the IP-address we use, every SIM-card has to be registered nowadays before it can be used etc. It feels strange to admit, but the government can follow us when they want, where they want, and there's little to nothing we can do about that.
Of course this has it's reasons and benefits. The main reason is that we value our security above our need for privacy. If we get stolen from, the chances are high it got caught on camera and we can track down the thief. If there's an attack, chances are high we can identify and locate the people responsible for it. Even more, we can track down those who supported and financed the attack and bring them to justice as well. And of course we can't just bring people to justice, but but the information available to us, we can prevent a gigantic amount of attacks. So giving up our privacy makes the world around us more secure, but did we lose the balance somewhere along the road?
Security is hugely important, but the "big brother is watching you" feeling has never been more present. I know my parents still like to pay a lot of things in cash, because they don't want people to know of every purchase they do. It's something little, but they still have the desire to be in control of their privacy. I, as a young-adolescent, have come to terms that privacy doesn't hold a lot of value anymore in this day and age. I'm fully aware of the fact that everywhere I go, everything I do is possibly tracked and recorded, and that's the way the Western world operates nowadays. An as long as the government won't randomly check on me when it's not needed, I don't really have problems with it. But we have to stay cautious and hold the people with power in check that they don't misuse their position and available tools.
So the control we have over our privacy is a relative concept, but that doesn't mean we still have some fundamentals in place. I know I will be filmed when I enter a building, but that doesn't mean I want camera's on my face when I'm going for a walk somewhere outlandish. They can track my IP-address, but I'm still free to use a VPN. I still have choices.
The thing is that I see more and more people throw away these fundamentals for financial gains. The past years on Youtube, there's been a huge influx of vloggers, people who record everything they do and share their day with the world. Twitch, the largest streaming platform, recently added the IRL tag where people can stream their in-real-life stuff. So if they're visiting Rome, they can take a camera with them, connect to their stream and let their audience enjoy the city together with them. Although these video's can be quite amusing and entertaining, you could pose the question of this is pushing the boundaries of our fundamental rights to privacy. Not only for the content-creators, but also for the people they unavoidably record while they're recording or streaming. How for will we go for entertainment and profits?
This evolution makes me think of a book I've read a few years ago: "The circle" by Dave Eggers. If you are interested in this topic and the possible long-term consequences, I would recommend reading it. A short summary:
What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.
And with that I'm going to leave you for today. Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment below if you want to discuss this topic.
See you next time
