5. Privacy Online and Offline

In today's digital age, online privacy has become an increasingly significant concern that impacts me, my friends, and my family. Every online action, from sending a message to posting a picture, leaves a permanent trace. This is scary since even a single photo is enough for people to gain personal information. Even offline, our movements are being tracked. Cell towers and license plate readers are constantly monitoring our day-to-day activities. As someone who owns a car, I find this constant surveillance scary. The data from my license plate is stored and accessible to local police and even at a federal level. An even more concerning issue to me is wiretapping. The possibility that my conversations could be recorded without my knowledge is scary. My friends and I are constantly attached to our phones, bringing them everywhere. With this level of connectivity, it is frightening to think about how much of my daily life is under surveillance. Additionally, spam calls, scam emails, and phishing attempts have exposed how available our information is. Recently, I received fake texts pretending to be from the Massachusetts DOT, claiming that I owed fees that didn't exist. Although I didn't open the fraudulent links, I have had friends fall for similar scams, resulting in their social media, messaging, and email accounts being taken over. Using location information and other data to form targeted frauds impacts people who aren't as tech-savvy, the first person coming to mind being my grandmother.

The government has a vital role to play in protecting our privacy. First and foremost, the government should work on strengthening encryption standards. Many websites like Apple messages and WhatsApp already use encryption to prevent wiretapping, but previous hacks have exposed issues within. As everything becomes increasingly digital, the risks of hacks only grow, and the government should push for stronger encryption to protect citizens from unauthorized surveillance. But it's not just foreigners surveilling us. The United States government needs to reevaluate its data collection practices. Instead of holding information on average citizens, they should prioritize data necessary for their operations. Limiting the amount of data collected will also prevent citizens' data from being accessed and misused by foreign governments; the less information we have on our citizens, the less other countries can get. Another issue the government needs to address is the lack of legislation addressing privacy violations such as revenge porn. While bills have been proposed to make revenge porn illegal, they have not passed yet. The government needs to hold people who violate online privacy accountable, and it is appalling how low of a sentence perpetrators get.

While it is clear that the government has a significant role to play, individuals also need to take steps to protect their own privacy. However, there is very little we can do to protect our privacy. If you own any form of technology, chances are your personal information is already out there. The most we can do is remain aware of the risks and be cautious about the data we share online.