Introduction
The quest to protect the privacy of people in the digital era has been subject to debate for several years since the revelation by Edward Snowden about the secret surveillance by the NSA and the intelligence agencies. The use of social networks as a way to interact with peers as well as a source of information cannot have become prevalent in the modern society due to its ease of access. It is undisputable that security has also become a challenge in this era where human rights are equally matters to grapple with. It is important that certain elements of communication in the society can warrant close monitoring while others might find themselves subject to collateral damage. Privacy is a core right to every individual thus, cannot be wished away for security reasons. As a result, the governmental agencies tasked with security and intelligence has often been caught on the wrong end by citizens who are much concerned about their safety and privacy. It is important to note that every person in the society finds it necessary to have a secure way of communication that help them communicate freely and without fear of being detected. As a result, they do not find any justification for surveillance over their activities on the social networks despite the growing security challenges. Over the recent years, the threat of terror has been a key catalyst for the need to monitor human activities on the internet. For several reasons, terror networks disseminate information about their plans for atrocities globally through social networks and over the internet. The disciplinary levels of users create avenues for debate over surveillance (Staples, 2014, 1-15). As a result, it becomes necessary to formulate a way of detecting any planned course of action that might spell doom to the innocent population. Several people have projected their concerns about the circumstances surrounding the issues of surveillance and privacy. While the security organs feel it can be acceptable under certain conditions, the public has expressed fury at the notion of private monitoring over their social activities online. The matter was taken before the American Supreme Court judge brought the illegal aspect of surveillance as it contravenes the privacy rights of individuals. In his ruling, federal appeals court Judge Gerald Lynch ruled that such actions are in contravention of the laws of the nation that gives the every person a right to privacy. As a result, the nullity of the action by the NSA would elicit further debate over the individual attitude now that it had been rendered illegal by the legal institutions. It is thus true that the surveillance and privacy issues affect people’s attitudes towards social media and communication.
Research Question
How have problems of privacy and surveillance affected people’s attitudes towards social media and communication?
Methodology
The methods used for the research used published survey reports as well as primary information across the world regarding the subject. The survey reports formed the basis of deductions used to unravel the attitudes of different people towards the issues of privacy and surveillance in different parts of the world.
Discussion
Many Americans feel that it is important to monitor individual activities online because security threats find no boundaries of usage on the social platform thus making them spread the information about committing global acts of terror. In many cases, the security agencies globally assert that it is important to understand that security issues are not matters of trivialities and can require extreme measures to provide. They further argue that it is terror networks use online platforms to conduct global recruitment of their members and as such it is critical to attempt and filter out potential security threats globally. There are particular concerns over the use of the data that is collected about individuals in various forms. While everybody appreciates the efforts of security agencies, they are particularly concerned about their safety due to their personal data that is in the hands of the unknown people. The concerns are considered to be grave and that being monitored by the public leaves them only with social networks as the place where they can seek solace and find privacy. However, the realization that even what is considered private is still being monitored is a concern many citizens who reserve their sentiments and contempt to the government for infringing on their rights (Staples, 2014, 1-15). It is important to note that certain characters on social platforms can be detrimental to the global peace and security and thus present more danger than what privacy offers. It is undisputable that security matters are concerns to both the government and the people. The government is entrusted with the security of the people and as a result, should act in every way possible to guarantee the security of individuals. It is important to note that several projections about attitude directed towards the issues of privacy have been debated globally. While the feeling those rights of certain individuals are at stake due to unexplained conditions, many continued to raise their voices over what makes unnecessary for their private activities to be monitored. It is critical for individuals to feel safe both from the government and personal threats. The fear of the wrong use of personal information has been voiced as one of the main concerns of people in the quest for total privacy. It is essential to highlight the parameters of surveillance is never explained and as several such myths about the information collected remain to influence the attitude of many people who now seem reserves on using the social networks overtly for fear of being monitored.
Importance of privacy
The absence of privacy on social networks has scared people away. Every adult user finds it important to reduce social activities online and disclosure of important information. Their attitude towards usage has thus reduced tremendously. However, their major concerns are about the need to understand those who are collecting their information and the purpose of which they are doing the act. The need to live a private life is a concern for every individual in America and as a result, they are bothered at the prospect of having their private information collected without the knowledge and clearly defined framework. It is essential that government limits on personal data are considered a critical matter due to the unknown extent to which the data can be used. Due to lack of legality of private information collection, it is important that legislations are created to control the government influence on personal information (Staples, 2014, 1-15). Many people feel that they reserve the rights to remain private upon will and as such the government should not interfere with them. It is essential that the will to disclose personal information under no criminal engagement is reserved for individuals. Many people feel that organizations should have the boundaries and limits of the information they collect as well as length of collection. In their view, having the liberty to collect information about individuals in itself is a security danger and should not be tolerated at any cost. As a result, if an organization has to collect personal data, then there should be limits to what they can collect and the reason be well known to the individuals (Sevignani, 2011, 8-79). The importance of privacy to individuals is undisputable. The need to have control over the information collected is another issue that elicits debate among the general population.
According to survey, majority of adults feel that it is important to know who has control of your personal information. In a survey conducted in 2015, several people voiced their concerns over the control of such information. 93% of the surveyed adults said it was “important” to be in control of those who can access their personal information. However, 74% of the adults also felt it is essentially “very important” to have control over the access of personal information Madden & Rainie, 2015). In their view, there is no certainty over what can be used to achieve with such information. It is important to understand that certain people can access your information and use it to achieve malicious intentions. As a result, controlling the access to personal information gives an in-depth understanding of what your personal data will be used to accomplish. In their view, it is very important that such rights are solely reserved for individuals and not any person. 19% of those surveyed agreed that it is “somewhat important” to have control. In their view, there is no doubt about the importance of reserving such rights to individuals. However, it is essential to give the security agencies the chance to control the misuse of private rights if they can lead to greater damage. As a result, they should be placed under surveillance to a lighter degree to help filter criminal elements in the society. Another concern about the surveillance issue is controlling what information one collects about the individual. It is important to note that such information can be source of danger to personal freedom as well as security. As a result, several people voiced their feeling on the importance of controlling the nature of information that is collected about an individual. 90% of the surveyed population asserted that, it is virtually “Important” to control the kind of information that is collected about the individual (Madden & Rainie, 2015). They assert that personal information can land in the wrong hands even if you are assured of safety. As a result, the right to decide the extent of information that should be collected is indispensable. Deciding what should be collected about you gives the chances to protect yourself from potential cyber crimes that are rampant in the modern society. In the same survey, 65% feel that controlling the information collected about you is “very important.” In their view, no reason should justify lack of control over the information collected about an individual. They assert that lack of limit to what information n is accessed puts an individual in danger of security malpractices. As a result, one can severely fall in danger without the information collected about them being used to achieving such malice. They say that it is critical to for the government to acknowledge there is no certainty over the honesty of individuals collecting the information. Therefore, it is essential to control such information so that whatever is collected cannot have dire impacts if misused by the collector.
Permission on surveillance
The key issues around surveillance are mainly concerned about the consent to authorize the survey of their information. Lack of approval creates fear among users regarding why they are being surveyed. As a result, many have limited the freedom with which they use social networks. It is important to note that surveillance should be conducted with the consent of the owner. Many people across the world feel that is not right to survey personal information without the consent of the owner (Sevignani, 2011, 8-79). In their view, it is incorrect and unjustifiable to take action against anybody based on information collected illegally and without the approval of the owner. It is critical that certain people are subjected to knowledge and approval of the quest to monitor their activities as well as collecting key information about them. They say it is important to provide informed consent on the surveillance of personal activities and personal information. They feel that it is paramount to be watched or listen to with their consent. As a result, they are utterly against secret surveillance that is carried out by the government. 88% of the Americans feel it is “important” to provide approval for the collection of personal information. 66% feel personal approval is “very important” (Madden & Rainie, 2015). However, 20% hold mild views over the approval issue. They admit that it is “somewhat important” to allow personal approval on surveillance of personal information. The approval also creates the debate of public monitoring. From the survey, it is clear that adults universally agree that it is important to have personal approval on the information collected about you as well as control over the same. It is paramount that individuals are given the personal authority to consent over what, how, and who collects information about them. It is because even enemies within the ranks of security agencies can gather important information about an individual and use them to accomplish undesirable goals.
Confidence over privacy
There is skepticism as to the level of privacy that those who access the personal information can observe. As a result, adults do not trust anybody with such information. It is not trustworthy that personal data collected about individuals can be kept private (Sevignani, 2011, 8-79). The companies running social networks keep personal details secret. Many individuals argue that how the information is used cannot be verified. In many cases, personal information on social media has been leaked to various companies thus leading to leakage of information and unnecessary disturbance from unknown quarters. While there is confidence to a smaller extent over the privacy of information collected about individuals. There are chances that the information provided can be used for undesired purposes or can land in the hands of unintended persons. It is important that the level of privacy can be cannot be guaranteed when another party holds personal information. Several Americans and others across the world argue that online services companies cannot offer substantial amount of confidence in the public regarding the safety of information. As a result, they feel that keeping the collected information private is another side issue to the surveillance resentment. The limits of information gathered should thus be imposed to create the understanding of the extent that such information can be used. Several people are thus concerned information gathered about them can be used wrongly by the government officials and security agencies. Information collected secretly about the individuals can thus be applied for wrongful use by those in authority. It can thus lead to numerous losses to the parties in question if the government does not provide the clear avenues to understand the nature and the need for acting on the information.
Susceptibility to cyber crimes
Many people have become cautious by the realization that their activities are monitored by the social media. It is a concern to every party that personal information is always used to open social accounts. As such, the information can land in the hands of cyber criminals who can deviate to other activities using the information. In Nigeria, the cases of kidnappings have been rampant and many people have fallen victims to the abductors. Online conning has also grown to a larger extent in Nigeria with several cyber criminals having fake accounts that they use to dupe their targets about sympathetic conditions they face or lure of attractive rewards to trap them. The criminal activities conducted online do not discriminate against age. People across all age groups have fallen victims to the criminals (Sevignani, 2011, 8-79). Children have been conned, adults have lost millions due to online scams carried out by criminals. As a result, children have been warned against using social networks due to unawareness about criminal activities taking place. Children are normally unaware about malicious plots carried out in the online platform. As a result, they are susceptible to online deceit. According to the terms of use of the online platforms, people above 18 years old are the only expected and allowed to own accounts. However, verification of age has proved to be difficult to enforce thus making a place for all the ages. As a result children have found themselves victims of cyber crimes. Adults on the other hand have devised more cautious approaches to the use of online platforms. In this, they have continuously used the platform but attempt to offer misleading information in several cases. For instance, a person from Chicago would write on his Facebook information page that he’s from New York. Such information makes them become lesser victims to criminal activities as the level of honesty and accuracy of information cannot lead to easy access. Some use images of celebrities as their profile pictures. It is a manifestation of the level of caution with which they are using the social networks. Females also have been the most affected. Criminals open fake accounts in the names of prominent persons to deceive them for lure of material benefits (Sevignani, 2011, 8-79). As a result, they end up being conned and deceived into doing things they did not intend including being recruited into criminal gangs. Such activities have caused made female users to observe caution about their activities and the information they provide. Many feel that it is not right to engage total strangers on intimate issues anymore since it can lead to abuse. As a result, they ignore strange tweets or engage on lighter note rather than heartily. Many fear being victims of cyber crimes thus tend to too careful.
Solution of the problem
It is evident that the prevalence of criminal activities is the reason why there is no ultimate middle ground regarding the surveillance of social media. There are different positions regarding this matter between the government and the public regarding whether surveillance can help curb the rampant criminal activities and ensure safety in the social media. According to the governments in Asia and Africa, the increase in cyber crime is due to the uncontrolled use of social network. They assert that terrorism and other crimes have increased due to the free environment that criminals find on the internet (Staples, 2014, 1-15). The feeling that their criminal activities are not realized gives them the confidence to inflict more damage. As a result, the government finds it necessary to monitor the activities of individuals across the social networks to combat any criminal intent. In Turkey, the government says that terror groups like Taliban have successfully used social networks to recruit members. In Somalia, Al-Shabaab has often used social networks to recruit youths from neighboring countries like Kenya and Eritrea. They have enlarged their networks through online recruitment and lure of young men by offering incentives that are hard to avoid. Social media have also been used by Al-Qaida to enlarge their networks in Libya and others parts of North Africa. They own Twitter and Facebook accounts that they use to speak to their targets for recruitment (Madden & Rainie, 2015). Such actions make it necessary for the government to monitor activities of individuals so that it can guarantee safety of its citizens.
On the contrary, the public considers such move as illegal and a blanket judgment. Not all users of social networks are criminals or have criminal intent. Therefore, subjecting the larger majority to undesired action due to the influence of minority is irrational. Majority of users online are people who only want to interact with outside world through social networks. Many do not have idea of potential security risks that they face. Consequently, they feel that legitimate users should not be victimized for problems of minority (Staples, 2014, 1-15). To clear the standoff, the governments should enact laws that give defines clear parameters of surveillance and gives people authority over their secret information. They should be given the chance to decide who accesses their information, made to understand how the information is accessed and what information is being accessed.
Conclusion
Right to privacy is indispensable. However, security concerns make it necessary for the government. The legality of surveillance is still in question though acceptable under extreme circumstances. That is if one is considered a global threat to security. However, the public is divided over the surveillance of their activities on social networks thus resulting. They want control over the information being surveyed to ensure that the level of damage is minimized. Equally, they need to know the people they entrust with such information. To solve the problem, it is important that laws governing surveillance are enacted to offer guidelines on how it is conducted as well as the valid reasons that justify taking such actions. Making the decision should bring together all representatives to deliberate over the matters.
Bibliography
Madden, M., & Rainie, L. 2015. Americans’ Attitudes About Privacy, Security and Surveillance. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/05/20/americans-attitudes-about-privacy-security-and-surveillance/
Staples, William G., 2014. "Everyday Surveillance" from Staples, William G., Everyday surveillance: vigilance and visibility in
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Sevignani, S., Kreilinge, V., Allmer, T., & Fuchs, C. 2011. Analysis of Existing Empirical Research Methods for Studying (Online) Privacy and Surveillance. The Internet & Surveillance - Research Paper Series, 8-79.
