My Privacy Concerns

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 1
ICS Blog

My Privacy Concerns

We find security cameras everywhere. Schools, Stores, Companies and just about every you go has security cameras. Even though these cameras are put in place to protect us it is still unnerving to be walking through a know people are watching your every move. I believe that security cameras should be more limited and used in places like the Statue of Liberty or the White House and not as much in stores and restaurants. This way important landmarks would still be protected and we would catch anyone trying to launch a large-scale attack. Although, less security cameras in stores would lead to more shoplifters and a solution to this is a few cameras in the front of a store to watch customers as they leave. 

Insurance companies like Progressive are offering a 30% discount for safe divers who install a monitoring device in their cars to insure that the drivers are indeed safe. I think that this is a good idea because it could save people lots of money but is still unnerving because these companies would know where you were all the time. As a high school student this doesn't concern me much but I could see myself being concerned when I am older. 

We see everyone on cell phones today. Cell phones are great because they help people stay safe and make contact much easier. But you would be astonished if you knew how much of this information data providers like Verizon and AT&T have about you. Is having a cell phone worth the cost of your privacy? In an article by Ars Technica, they say that 60% of people think that their phones are just as private as their home computes. This is not true, phone companies know what you search for, what apps you use, and what you download each and every day. They also know where your phone is. Most people have their phone with them most of the day so this means that they know where you are most of the day!
 Google is also able to track what you search for, what sites you go to, and what you do on their site. This isn't too concerning to me because I have nothing to hide from Google but it is still concerning that more people don't know that Google is tracking them and what they do online. In conclusion I don't have a huge problem with the current privacy policies of car insurance, google, security cameras, and cellphones but I think that when I grow up this can become an increasing problem that will not only affect me but everyone around the globe.