As college students, web users, and library researchers, much of your personal information and search behavior is captured and analyzed. You can be identified by your email address and other information you may provide when you sign-up or log-in for various web accounts and services. If you use Google search, Gmail, or other Google products, much of your usage and behavior can be, and is, recorded. The specific computer you use can be identified by its IP address. All this data could potentially be mined to create a digital profile of you. The library has information about what books and other items you check out. With a court order, legal authorities can demand access to this information. How do you feel about exposing yourself in these ways? Have emerging information technologies diminished your right to privacy? Do you think the government should be able to examine your use of the internet and the library?
Tim Donahue
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If I was worried about hiding anything, it might be something that would bother me. I'm not looking at anything like how to rob a bank, or how to murder someone. In the event someone was looking at information that I didn't think anyone else would ever see, I would feel violated. It is kind of invasive how easy it is to have access to all kinds of different information. I’m not surprised about others having access to my library renting history. If I really didn’t want someone to know I used a specific book, it would make much more sense to buy the book. As long as you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to worry about. If you do, be smart about it or it’s your own fault.
As Jesi has aid, “if I had something to hide, I might be concerned over voyeurism on the web.” I’ve been somewhat concerned about what people knew about me in the past, but the older I got the less I felt concerned. My trail through the web is rather boring, not very titillating to anyone, I’m sure. I have read much on the “Big Bro” genre and in the age of terrorism in which we live it might seem prudent to have watch care over the internet traffic. But can any one entity do this without bias and be supremely just and righteous? I don’t believe so, unless God himself has the job of policeing the internet. As far as a digital profile of me, I’m constantly erasing the latest adware various sites dump on me that my ad blocker doesn’t block first. So digital profiles are out there and constantly being updated on me, personally, I really don’t care. I’ve given up feeling paranoid about who knows what. My biggest concern at present is to live in such a way that I never need to be concerned with what people see or know about me or my life. Honestly God is my judge not people. People as individuals will always have their opinions of me, and their entitled to them, whether they’re flesh and blood or the “great magnetic ink,” what matters is what I look like before God.
Like Jesi Said, i dont spend my time trolling the internet dropping hotwords like "bomb, airport, and terrorism", so i dont really have any reason to worry. I do disagree with the fact, however, that everything you do is recorded using your IP address, as i feel that this is an invasion of privacy. While you do need to use some discretion when putting information on the internet, i dont think there needs to be something recording your every move and keystroke.
The emergence of technological advances that allow people to be tracked in almost anything they do on a computer has not diminished our right to privacy. At this point, it is the person who is using the technology that is exposing themselves to these effects of internet use. You could still research things the old way, like using libraries, to get the same information without the "invasion." This brings us to the point of the government being able to demand access to my library usage. This is part of The Patriot Act and is definitely one of the areas in which the government has taken from our right to privacy. I think it is perfectly legal for the government to be able to examine our usage of the internet as there is no precedence to say otherwise, but the usage of our libraries is another issue. I completely disagree with what the Patriot Act allowed the government to look at and think that it is a breach of our right to privacy as citizens of the United States of America. Not that I am a criminal and would ever need to be looked at in that way, but it is the principle of our rights as citizens.
Mike Pasque
I believe that the easy accessability to all this information is a bit scary. There is no reason why others should have the ability to access all of this information or any other private information. I realize that most of this is due to companies such as Google trying to make searching and information finding easier and more personable for their users. This is fine, however, I strongly disagree with the government being able to access all of this information. They already have incredible power and control over basically every other part of our lives, why should they be able to see the books and information we use at the library. If I had my way, the government could not access any personable information. The information is not used for any positive purposes, it is simply used to give certain people more power and control over everyone else.
If i felt i had something to hide i might be worried. I don't think there is anything on the internet that i wouldn't mind other people knowing. With the exception of my address maybe and phone number maybe. It does not surprise me how much the government is able to see. Do i feel its right that they are able to know so much and see so much about us... no, do i personally mind... no. I mean, there are certain topics that people are curious about and i feel they should be able to search them. Sheltering us from what's really our there in the world makes no scence.
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