Privacy-New Boundaries?

Exactly what is privacy?   Most of us know when we don't have it or our privacy is violated, in fact in English there is a phrase and legalese concerning the "invasion of privacy".   Invasion is an apt word to use in the context I will discuss this week.  Advances in technological capability changes what we consider to be "rights to privacy".   Who has the right to privacy in the 21st century?   Who or what determines those rights?

Privacy is the condition of being free from observation and outside interference, being free from public scrutiny or private/corporate/government surveillance.  There is a disparity in our world from country to country concerning what constitutes the actual "right" to privacy.  

Cultural differences can be seen in the different outlooks on privacy between nations. For example, in Europe “the right to be forgotten” has been a focal point of regulations and court battles.  This means an individual has the legal right to have his online information erased by her/his own request.  The same laws ensuring one has the right to be "forgotten" in public view do not have a similar counterpart in the United States.  In the U.S.A. the right of privacy can be eroded simply because you are a public figure. Who determines who is a public figure is a loophole however, some tech companies hosting sites about people may decide a living or a deceased person is of interest in the public forum.   There is no recourse legally at present, to withdraw information about a person online if they are so designated.  In Asia, the right of privacy takes a back seat to strengthening community through trust and accountability.  "The result is a dichotomy between nations. Europe and North America prefer hard law sanctions through regulation and Asia prefers to approach privacy and data security through soft laws where transgressors make public apologies for breaches in order to regain public trust."     www.bna.com/global-privacy-ethics-n57982069807/

Certain organizations and international groups have called for the creation of a "global" definition of the "right to privacy"  and the assurance this right will prevail in spite of the increasing use of technology for surveillance.   As the Global Internet Liberty Campaign (GILC) points out in one of it's recent publications: "Privacy is a fundamental human right recognized in the United Nations (UN) Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights, and in many other international and regional treaties. "Privacy underpins human dignity and other key values such as freedom of association and freedom of speech.  It has become one of the most important human rights issues of the modern age."   gilc.org/privacy/survey/intro.html

GILC also points out: "The increasing sophistication of information technology with its capacity to collect, analyze and disseminate information on individuals has introduced a sense of urgency to the demand for legislation. Furthermore, new developments in medical research and care, telecommunications, advanced transportation systems and financial transfers have dramatically increased the level of information generated by each individual. Computers linked together by high speed networks with advanced processing systems can create comprehensive dossiers {Profiles} on any person without the need for a single central computer system. New technologies developed by the defense industry are spreading into law enforcement, civilian agencies, and private companies."  In regard to work environments the report by GILC states:  
​"The technology being used to monitor workers is extremely powerful. It can ​analyze "keystrokes" on a terminal to determine whether employees are making efficient use of their time between telephone conversations. Software companies call this process "performance monitoring." Even in workplaces staffed by highly skilled information technology specialists, bosses demand the right to spy on every detail of a workers performance. Modern networked systems can interrogate computers to determine which software in being run, how often, and in what manner. A comprehensive audit trail gives managers a profile of each user, and a panorama of how the workers are interacting with their machines. The software also gives managers total central control over the software on each individual PC. A manager can now remotely modify or suspend programs on any machine.
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The technology being used extends to every aspect of a worker's life. Miniature cameras monitor behavior. "Smart" ID badges track an employee's movement around a building. Telephone Management Systems (TMS) analyze the pattern of telephone use and the destination of calls. Psychological tests, general intelligence tests, aptitude tests, performance tests, vocational interest tests, personality tests and honesty tests are all electronically assessed. Surveillance and monitoring have become design components of modern information systems.

While companies assert that all surveillance is justified, it is clear that not all uses of monitoring are legitimate."    Moreover who assures the monitors for surveillance whether human or robot-yes there are AI and robot monitors now-are accountable, honest and impartial; is a primary concern for many sectors.   

If you think the above cited surveillance is intrusive read what China is already implementing in factories and businesses with some of it's workers-they are literally scanning brains for evidence of anxiety, rage, depression, resistance, decrease in 'productivity', etc.  Brain surveillance can take privacy abuse to a whole new level.:   www.theorganicprepper.com/china-data-mining/

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While the above cited examples concern adults, there is increasing surveillance and data gathering on our children.   What about their right to privacy?   There is a 'seamless kiddie data heist' used to cull from over 30 million students and teachers in the United States public schools using Google G Suite for Education.  
​“The recently passed Every Student Succeeds Act {passed in December 2015} further enshrined government collection of personally identifiable information -- including data collected on attitudes, values, beliefs and dispositions ​— and allows release of the data to third-party contractors thanks to Obama-era loopholes carved into the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.  It’s not just Google doing the unauthorized child data collection thing.  Apple, Microsoft, Pearson, Knewton, and other companies offering cloud-connected educational technology are doing the same thing."    www.glitch.news/2018-12-02-google-now-spying-on-students-using-classroom-technology.html

You may not realize that there is a growing industry which contracts to education systems (both public and private), corporations and government agencies.  These are labeled, "social observer and analytics systems" and four of the more frequently used companies as contractors to school systems (K-12) and universities in the USA, are:   Digital Fly, Geo Listening, Snaptrends and Varsity Monitor.   These are all privately owned USA companies which collect/gather data, analyse, flag, trouble shoot and report back to their "clients".   Parents may or may not be aware their child is being monitored.  (see article linked entitled):  "Honestly, We're Not Spying on Kids"  School Surveillance of Young People's Social Media.      journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2056305116680005

Reports by reputable research centers such as Pew Research, state that one third of all US children attending public schools are using school issued tech devices.  These devices, be they lap tops, note books, Ipads all have surveillance/monitoring tools/back doors/cameras built in.  "Throughout EFF’s [Electronic Frontier Foundation] investigation over the past two years, we have found that educational technology services often collect far more information on kids than is necessary and store this information indefinitely. This privacy-implicating information goes beyond personally identifying information (PII) like name and date of birth, and can include browsing history, search terms, location data, contact lists, and behavioral information. Some programs upload this student data to the cloud automatically and by default. All of this often happens without the awareness or consent of students and their families."   www.eff.org/wp/school-issued-devices-and-student-privacy

For children, it may be they are growing up in a family which uses tech tools to "spy" on them.   They adjust to being under surveillance by those in authority as they mature, whether it be their parents, their educators, their coaches, doctors, employers or partners; and all the while-their government.  It follows that many children will adapt by putting on a "mask" early in their life before developing their own authentic and unique personality.  Adolescents may in fact become more secretive and find ways to circumvent parental surveillance and hide their true feelings, intentions and actions.  nautil.us/issue/35/boundaries/parents-shouldnt-spy-on-their-kids

As an indication of creeping surveillance technology even in the most economically challenged Henan province up in the high hills (they call mountains),  in the last few weeks new surveillance cameras and a large screen to show the "messages" from their "dear leader" were installed at the martial arts school where I am living/training.   We were all lined up in the freezing cold, children from 5 up to adults of my age, to stand and watch a message yesterday.   There was bowing (to the screen image) clapping and the recitation and singing of their national anthems all now under the watchful electronic eyes.   Part of "Project Dragonfly" creep?  (see blog post on ECHELONs 10/02/2018  (https://www.jopatti.com/blog/echelons)  Hard to know but now even these children (and adults) will be under surveillance in public areas.
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​The ethical and long term emotional and societal effects and implications to our civilizations, take a back seat to the drive for data capitalism/information currency and tech control.  We need to be mindful, careful and vigilant about the boundaries we draw on privacy....while we still can.  Remain alert to the "invasion" of a locked down surveillance grid.   I urge you to push for legislation and enforcement of what little privacy we have left for our children and the next generations.

From the  wintry mountains in China,

Jo

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