Key Messages
Don’T Give Up On Privacy: How To Take Action And Protect Your Digital Data In Our Surveillance Age
In today’s digital world, it’s no surprise that governments and advertisers are collecting your personal information.
Cameras mounted on cars photograph homes and schools and put the images online; CCTV cameras follow us on street corners; and advertisers load software on our devices to track what sites we visit.
All this data collection can seem overwhelming, but it’s important to remember that you don’t have to give up your privacy.
You can take steps to protect yourself from unwanted monitoring.
You’ll also learn why personal data is increasingly becoming as sought after as oil, what insidious cookies do and how you can avoid being tracked by technological giants online.
Ultimately, keep in mind that despite all the surveillance activity going on out there, knowledge is power.
By understanding why your personal information is being collected and knowing the steps you can take to protect it will give you back control of your privacy.
We’Re All Being Watched: Understanding The Growing Danger Of Surveillance
The world we live in today is a world where surveillance has become normal.
We know this thanks to whistleblower Edward Snowden, who revealed the US National Security Agency’s activities in 2013; not only does this agency intercept foreign conversation, but it also collects phone records and online information from US citizens.
Local and state governments are also involved in surveillance, with agencies using automated car license readers to track citizens’ movements.
Cell phone companies such as AT&T and Verizon sell our physical location data to third-party data brokers while advertisers follow us around online.
So yes – you’re right if you feel paranoid that someone is always watching you.
From the NSA to retailers with facial recognition software – our actions, living habits and purchase history can all be tracked in one way or another.
It may be difficult at times to protect your privacy — but take solace in knowing that with the right education and knowledge, you can greatly reduce your risk of becoming a victim of surveillance efforts.
We Are Potentially Vulnerable To Data And Privacy Abuse – There Is Little We Can Do About It
In “Dragnet Nation,” readers are reminded of the frightening reality that personal data can be easily accessed and used by those with malicious intent.
In 1999, Liam Youens paid an online data broker to access information on a woman he had been obsessing over, which enabled him to track her down and eventually kill both her and himself.
Similarly, in 2009, technicians at a high school installed spying software on students’ MacBooks that allowed them to activate the laptops’ webcams and take photographs – some students were even photographed thousands of times.
This example is especially concerning, as it demonstrates how far people will go to achieve their goal of exploiting someone else’s personal data.
Of course, most of us won’t ever experience such a situation, but it nevertheless serves as a reminder to everyone about how carefully we need to protect our own personal information online.
The Dangerous Effects Of Surveillance: We Censor Ourselves, Even When We Know It’s Unnecessary
When societies are constantly monitored and watched, a culture of fear is inevitable.
This fear can lead people to adapt in dangerous ways.
Studies have shown that once people are aware that their movements are being monitored, the behavior is altered – whether it be to become more “model” citizens or act even more paranoid than before.
History has shown us the debilitating effects this can have on a population with the example of East Germany’s Stasi secret police force – 43 percent of East Germans admitted they felt like they were constantly watched and couldn’t trust anyone else due to the organization’s extensive file archives on over 4 million citizens!
This feeling of paranoia and distrust significantly impacted how citizens thought and acted in society which created an oppressive environment where every social interaction was seen as a potential spy..
More recent studies also confirm this notion – when participants were monitored in an experiment, although permission had been given for only research personnel to observe them, they still changed their behaviors such as undressing in private or not inviting many friends over – just out of embarrassment or anxiety that someone was listening.
They also felt annoyed and anxious at being monitored.
It’s clear that when we feel we’re continuously under surveillance, it affects our lives in negative ways and drives us into situations we don’t want to be in – like shielding ourselves with mistrust or conforming to societal pressures just because we don’t feel like ourselves anymore.
We must remember that even if you might trust the person watching you, just knowing that something or someone might be watching can cause severe problems for our personal liberties.
The Dragnet Nation: How The U.S. Government’S Surveillance Abuses Started After 9/11
Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the National Security Agency (NSA) has been collecting internet and phone data on a massive scale.
Since then, the agency has been relying more heavily on this data to conduct intelligence gathering and surveillance operations.
This collection was originally intended to last for a 30-day period, but it soon became an ongoing operation – with President George W.
Bush’s approval – that has continually expanded in scope even without congressional oversight or review.
This practice of mass data collection allowed the NSA access to incredible amounts of personal information from private citizens with impunity from U.S.
and international law – thanks to certain loopholes they exploited.
One such example is their exploitation of what is known as “metadata” which consists of information about other typesof data .
For instance, phone call metadata can reveal who is calling and who they are calling, but not any information about what was said in the conversation itself.
This kind of data gathering has become so pervasive that it allows the NSA unfettered access to citizens’ day-to-day activities and whereabouts regardless of whether or not they have done anything wrong.
The Rise Of Cookies: How Tracking Data Reinvigorated Online Advertising
Internet companies are watching more than you think when you’re online.
They install a small data file – commonly referred to as cookies – on your computer that allow them to track and follow your activity online.
When you are browsing for a Swiss watchmaker, for example, that website exchanges data with third parties which then create a cookie record.
This cookie can then be sold to advertisers who want to reach people like you who are interested in Swiss-made watches.
The advertiser has now gained the right and ability to follow you around the Internet, allowing you to see ads regarding Swiss watches even if you’re on another website completely unrelated.
And it goes beyond this – these tracking methods have been so successful and profitable that it inspired an entire industry revolving around collecting personal user data and selling it off or using it to fuel targeted advertising.
In other words, it’s not just Swiss watches they’re tracking – but everything else you do on the Internet too!
People Have To Make Sacrifices In Order To Protect Their Privacy In A Data-Driven Society
If you’re looking to protect your privacy in the modern world, it’s not going to be easy.
You’ll have to make some tradeoffs and sacrifices in order to stay safe.
For example, though giving up your data brokers or opting for complete anonymity may be attractive options, they both require a lot of effort and don’t always guarantee security.
On the other hand, being a surveillance flexitarian means taking smaller, manageable steps that still help protect your privacy without making life impossible.
For example, you can limit how much personal data you share online or avoid certain sites like Facebook, but this also means losing out on certain conveniences like networking with friends or staying connected.
Your cell phone is another item where tradeoffs come into play; while having cellular coverage allows you to stay reachable, it also transmits data about you and your habits which others could use against you.
Parents of young children may need their phone turned on at all times for safety reasons and thus must accept the risk of weakened privacy for the benefit of staying connected.
It’s clear that protecting yourself from personal data collection isn’t an easy task;you’ll have to navigate between convenience and safety when making decisions about how much information you are willingly giving away.
The Dangers Of Google And Alternatives For Privacy-Minded Internet Users
If you don’t want the government spying on your emails and poking their nose in where it doesn’t belong, there are ways to keep your privacy safe.
The first step is to steer away from Google and its email service Gmail.
Despite what their company motto may say, there have been a number of reported abuses involving personal information being collected by Google.
Fortunately, there are alternatives out there that can keep your data secure from government intrusion.
DuckDuckGo is one example of a search engine that respects and protects individual’s privacy; they don’t retain any personal data at all.
When it comes to email services, RiseUp is committed to protecting users’ privacy with encryption technology so that only intended recipients will be able to view messages sent through their service.Other companies such as Lavabit have chosen to close up shop due to fears of becoming “complicit in crimes against the American people”.
However,there are still ways to keep your emails private even without these services available.
By making use of these alternate options you can continue sending messages without fear of government snooping .
Take Control Of Your Data: Balancing Convenience And Privacy In An Age Of Digital Surveillance
If you’re worried about data tracking and want to keep your information safe, don’t worry!
There are a few apps and software that can help you out.
For example, Silent Circle’s Silent Text and Silent Phone apps work on both Android and Apple devices and cost $9.95 per month – they encrypt the messages sent and received, as well as provide an option for burning the messages from your device, so they cannot be retrieved.
Additionally, with Firefox web browsers, two of its most common anti-tracking add-ons – AdBlock Plus and NoScript – can also help to protect you online by preventing online ads from displaying, stop advertisers from installing cookies on your computer in the first place, or control JavaScripts which are often used to install all kinds of tracking software.
In short: don’t let those pesky advertisers get you down!
Apps and other software can help keep cookies at bay and make sure your digital identity remains private.
Wrap Up
The key takeaway of the book Dragnet Nation is that indiscriminate dragnets and ubiquitous surveillance are commonplace.
Unfortunately, people don’t usually realize how wide-reaching the consequences of this practice can be.
Not only does it hinder our privacy, but it has also been shown to alter thought processes and behaviors.
Therefore, it’s important to not give up on safeguarding our privacy by being aware of such practices and taking steps to protect ourselves from them.
Don’t let yourself be a victim of dragnet nation; fight back by empowering yourself with knowledge!
