Recently I've engaged in numerous conversations on the topic of Snowden: hero or villain?
That really isn't the point of this post.
The media reports about the man who leaked top secret information has me thinking about the issue of privacy...
We live in interesting times where we use social media to announce to the world where we are (Facebook check-in) and what we are doing at any given moment (Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook status posts). I (obviously) have a blog and share portions of my life on the blog. I have user IDs for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and post status updates periodically on all of these.
In addition to these, I have a smart phone and subscribed to the Google app which I find amazing. If there is a flight itinerary in my inbox, the app will automatically give me the flight status. The app has memorized my schedule and frequently visited locations and will give me updates on how long it will take to get home from work or to a regular destination on Monday nights or Wednesday mornings. When I travel, because of GPS tracking on my phone, the app creates a listing (unsolicited)of activities or restaurants near me. Every weekend it gives me a list of events in my area. I like the convenience of these functions. I find them helpful and useful. I sacrificed privacy to get these features and apparently I am okay with that.
I am not, however, okay with the government tracking and cataloguing these things without a reasonable cause. I don't care if it is in the name of national security. While I have nothing to hide, it feels to me a violation of trust that they capture this information without my permission.
I have been thinking about this inconsistency in my stance. I willingly give up privacy for the sake of personal convenience, but I feel it a violation when those concessions in privacy are being monitored on a grand scale.
Is my expectation of privacy reasonable?
just Sheri, trying to reconcile my inconsistencies
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