Analysis: Why Care About Internet Privacy

Individuals and the government are falling behind as the internet is continuing to grow with technology advancing. Although, individuals are more to blame than the government, both are at fault. Individuals are careless about the things they do on the internet but are quick to care when they learn their privacy is being invaded. In the video “Why Care About Internet Privacy?” by Epipheo, Alan Henry from Lifehacker.com stated “every time you click from one website to another you click the link to go to the next page and that`s information that people are collecting about you. That information that you think is meaningless.” This explains how corporations take all types of information from individuals using the internet without individuals knowing. …show more content…
The government is the only entity with enough power to enforce or put in more laws and regulations. For example, two regulations the government has set in place are The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and The Patriot Act. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act allows the government to obtain digital communications like emails, messages and old files that were used to communicate with others through the internet. This act grants access to the government which allows them to pull up old files and go through them without having to inform the individual or asks for permission. The Patriot Act is similar to The Electronic Communications Privacy Act, but instead of the government being involved, it's the FBI that is granted access to obtain information about who an individual is contacting without the need of a warrant. This is what most individuals fail to notice that the government can, in fact, have access to the private information without the consent or knowledge of the individuals. The government having access to private information may still be a concern for many individuals, but it shouldn't be a concern now when the government has already had access to do …show more content…
Individuals are expected to grow by having a job, buying a house and having a family, but how is it possible when the personal information individuals need to give out are not protected. Alan Henry from Lifehacker.com had also stated “When you sign up for a new account at whatever service read the terms of service at least as much as you can. What is it that you're giving up.” This could mean a designed website to apply for jobs and that case trying to find a job can lead individuals to have their information leaked. The process of applying for requires individuals to give out valuable information such as social security, date of birth, where they live and also can run background checks. The possibility that websites like this can take from an individual is not beneficial. This is where the government is failing to enforce laws and regulations preventing websites from taking from an individual. Along with setting up more laws and regulations to protect individuals from privacy on the internet, the government should educate the