After watching the TED talks, my bias that rapid advancement of technology is scary and in some cases dangerous was confirmed. In the first video, Crump explains how government surveillance departments are likely giving away sensitive information about the citizens of the United States of America. The NSA allows different government institutions to gather massive quantities of information about citizens that was previously unthinkable. Take your cellphone for example. All modern cell phones carry GPS tracking capabilities, allowing certain organization, both private and public to know your location at any point in time. On top of that, smartphone technology is making its way into our lives more and more, with cars containing built- in GPS systems. There are even many household appliances that now come with built in cameras. Imagine being worried about your refrigerator watching you…
Soghoian makes a great point about the dangers of telephone surveillance. Developers have built systems with the ground up with surveillance at the core of the programming. For example, all of our phones are tapped, which means that if a person knows how to do it, they can listen to your phone call with someone else without you knowing. Apple is at the forefront of the prevention of this type of surveillance, having created some of the strongest encryption seen on the planet. For example, Apple’s iMessage is so encrypted that even they cannot see your text messages. Soghoian explains how dangerous wiretapping is. Anyone with the knowledge can simply create a massive database of millions of people’s personal information and do whatever they want with it.
Enriquez shines a light on how our technological footprint is like a tattoo. It stays with you for the rest of your life and forever on. Enriquez talks about Face.com, which has compiled over 18 billion faces across various applications and platforms. Facebook bought the company in 2012. Enriquez argues that having a lasting digital footprint will lead to mass immorality and pettiness. All three speakers remind us how how rapidly technology is changing and how it is something that deserves to be feared.
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