Does Private REALLY mean Private?

      

In todays age, it seems that everyone always has a phone or other communication device in their hands.  Our generation is always on social media, texting each other, or always on the go in our vehicles. You may read that statement and agree. Shopping online, texting, and completing daily tasks is the norm. However, there is always a catch when it comes to technology- a deep underlying issue that has the capability to snowball into incivility and puts us at risk as Americans. 

    The American government has begun implementing surveillance technology into local police departments to track civilians movements- even if you are not specifically being targeted.

License plate tracking has begun to become an awaited issue as it is an invasion of privacy to civilians. For example, this harmful police surveillance can be heavily abused. It is able to track attendees at a mosque, peaceful protest, LGBTQ areas, and more spaces that are minority inclusive, or stereotyped against. Another example of police surveillance is the use of the "Stingray"; which uses phone tracking signals to see who is inside of a home, and where at. This is extremely invasive to Americans in many different aspects. 

   
Along with the use of police surveillance, invasive technology does not end there. Wire tapping has heavily affected the stance around how private our technology is and how safe we are while using our texting apps and phone calls. While Apple products are not as susceptible to wire-tapping, it is still possible and concerning to the average American- the feeling of never being secure in your privacy is extremely concerning. It could affect myself and my friends at any point in our lives. Protecting ourselves from an invasion of privacy within our technology would be becoming aware of online safety and becoming educated on how it happens, what to do if it does happen, and how to prevent a wire tap or any type of hack that would gain our information. With the issue of the government invading civilian privacy, local police departments governed by city officials can have cuts to decrease these new forms of surveillance equipment, as more and more people raise civil liberty threats. To resolve this issue also, internet companies need to be held accountable for their information leaks, illegal sites, and information payouts- we need clear and strict enforcement to back up civilians and their rights to privacy.