Privacy

   

I am pretty certain that I have an unpopular opinion on this subject. When people hear that the government listens to our phone calls, or when people get ads for things they've previously searched, they are completely freaked out. However, this concept doesn't bother me. Sure, it might be a little odd if people are listening to my phone calls, but there's no reason to be concerned unless you're doing something wrong. Do you really think the government cares about the drama with your friends or that your mom wants you to pick up something from the store from her? Not at all. I know it seems invasive, but the only reason to worry is if you could be in trouble for something.

People also hate when ads pop up for things they've searched. Personally I just find this annoying, not scary. Most of the time my ads are for items I've searched such as clothing websites or makeup products, so it's simply a way to get you to buy the product. The one thing that bothers me is when ads pop up for things you've only talked about out loud. I understand tracking phone calls to find criminal behavior, but listening to people through the phone is a different story. One time I even got an ad for a product I only thought of. Of course it was a mere coincidence because clearly the government can't read my mind, but I know I never searched it or spoke of it, so the fact that an ad popped up only a short time after was odd.

 In Christopher Soghoian's ted talk on "How to Avoid Surveillance...With the Phone in Your Pocket" he mentions that companies have installed technology into devices that makes surveillance extremely difficult. One of these companies is Apple, and they themselves cannot see the texts people send to one another. I have an iphone, so I'm already being somewhat protected from being tracked. Personally, I don't care if the government wants to listen to my phone calls or track my searches because I've never done anything wrong. Although that's my view on the situation, I completely understand that most people find this an invasion of privacy and that we have a right to be private as citizens of the United States.