Over the last decade the amount of data being stored online is increasing exponentially. On one hand, it is exceptionally convenient, as person is able to access it from almost anywhere, but on the other hand, it brings up the privacy issue. The right for privacy is alluded in the fourth amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
The right for privacy is being constantly challenged by governmental authorities (agencies, officials, etc.), Internet providers and mobile operators. Big telecom companies conventionally do not involve themselves into spying activities and do not share their clients’ information without court orders. Nevertheless, one of the giants – AT&T – is known for its “extraordinary decades-long partnership” (Angwin) with the NSA, providing them with a vast range of details on the internet traffic, documents, etc. Many people depend on the Internet and store their personal and corporate sensitive information in the cloud, online or on servers, being permanently exposed to the threat of their data being lost or leaked. “Data about an identified or identifiable individual” (Overview), or personal data, is essential to be kept safe, because one could commit a number of digital / virtual and physical crimes, for example, credit card fraud, identity theft, etc.
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In the era of digital communication and social networking it is important to keep people safe from abuse of their right on privacy, as technologies make people “vulnerable to electronic surveillance and interception” (OHCHR). People should be aware of the potential threats and be careful when using internet or connecting their devices into networks, creating the Internet of things. Internet consumers are legally protected by the rules from the Federal Communications Commission that provided consumers with “greater control over how internet service providers share information” (Associated), so that they could be aware of their data or information on them being communicated to the authorities.
Overall, governmental agencies, like NSA, are known for having “direct access to the systems of Google, Facebook, Apple and other US internet giants” (Greenwald), and the primary challenge for Internet users is whether their information is kept private, and whether all legal procedures are complied with, so that their data is not misused or accessed illegally. Digital storages expose users to major challenge of losing their data, and thus telecom providers should be able to guarantee safe storage of all sensitive information and Big Data on their servers.
- Angwin, J., Savage, C., Larson, J., Moltke, H., Poitras L., & Risen J. AT&T Helped U.S. Spy on Internet on a Vast Scale. The New York Times, August 15, 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/us/politics/att-helped-nsa-spy-on-an-array-of-internet-traffic.html.
- Associated Press. House Votes to Block Obama-era Online Privacy Rule. Fox News.Tech, March 28, 2017. http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/03/28/house-votes-to-block-obama-era-online-privacy-rule.html.
- Greenwald, G, & MacAskill, E. NSA Prism Program Taps in to User Data of Apple, Google and others. The Guardian, June 7, 2013. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data.
- OHCHR. (N.d.) The Right to Privacy in the Digital Age. United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/DigitalAge/Pages/DigitalAgeIndex.aspx.
- Overview (N.d.). Privacy Shield Framework. https://www.privacyshield.gov/article?id=OVERVIEW.
