“I’ve always tried to keep the idea of “nothing is private once its online” in the back of my mind when doing, well, anything on the internet. It’s been told to us from a young age, so I really do try to be careful about what I’m posting. After watching the film Terms and Conditions May Apply, I was actually surprised. I knew that everyone could see the majority of what you post, but I didn’t know how much you’re actually singing your life away. I thought it was really unsettling to find out that social media actually helps the CIA find information about people. They have everything stored, and it never gets deleted. Even when using an app like Facebook Messenger, your messages are still saved by Facebook. The scariest thing I think, though, is that if your content is taken out of context, it can be seen and can actually be used against you. Going forward, I definitely want to protect my devices better by using a firewall, and maybe using an app that will encrypt my messages, like WhatsApp. Privacy really isn’t something we can depend on when using the internet, even when we’re not worried about being found.”
-Natalie Ochs
This point is important and one that many Americans and even many in Europe feel about the evolution of the internet, especially social media. After watching Terms and Conditions May Apply, our eyes were open to the fact that much of our lives on the internet is regulated and used and seen by companies and the government. In many ways this makes one feel helpless, unable to protect their identity without having to completely not participate in social media and the many positive benefits it brings to our society. It is important however to keep ourselves informed about what we agree to when we sign up for new apps, log into our email providers, or even buy good through the internet. Although we can’t let fear predict how we live, we can become aware and make sure that we are using social sites well and being aware of what this exactly entails.
Sophie Hamptons Blog 