Weekly Discussion Topic: Apr 27-May 3 (The Right to Privacy)

[BwareDWare94 723]

With the recent Donald Sterling situation, I've had a lot of time to think about how disgusting some people are, but then another question occurred to me--why am I even able to listen to the conversation in which these comments were made?

I could only come to one conclusion--our shrinking privacy. As more and more unnecessary gadgets are able to do more and more unnecessary things, I started to think about how scary it is that our phones can do so many things that can violate the privacy of others. Cameras to take pictures people might not want taken. Recording devices that record things that people shouldn't have to worry about being recorded.

 

There are just too many ways that people can violate other people's privacy with their phones and other incredibly-expensive-and-definitely-not-worth-it gadgets. It's frightening.

Then everything gets stored online, on places like Facebook which takes ownership of the material as soon as you post it. It's the very reason I'll never post one of my short stories on Facebook.

 

At what point do we need to stop being gullible and realize that our privacy is something of the past? Not only can everybody use their gadgets to get into our business, you better believe that Big Brother is using this technology to watch us, too. It all just makes too much sense.

 

Anyway, what do you folks think? Is Sterling partially a victim, too? I don't know where he was when the recording was made. If it was anywhere that was supposed to be private, then I'm horrified that we even know about his comments.

 

The fucker should still have to sell his team, though.

[GA_Eagle 595]

I go in strange alternating waves of paranoia and complete comfort with technology and all that it brings. Often its within seconds of each other. I love gadgets and the internet... then I think about someone looking at all those NAMBLA emails I sent and I freak out a bit.

 

Seriously. It makes me kinda paranoid and helpless feeling.

[Bucman 891]

Sterling is a scumbag and most people have known him to be a racist for a while now.

 

But the chick really had no right to record him and was said to be doing so to blackmail him. She is not any better than him if that is true.

[blotsfan 2,112]

I think in principle it wasn't great (and I think illegal in California) but the best way to prevent people from getting racist recordings of you is to not say racist things.

[BwareDWare94 723]

That's the point. We knew Donald Sterling was an asshole, but that doesn't mean it's OK to commit crimes against him.

 

I want him to sell the team, and I want him to have a ruined reputation for the rest of his life, but this situation should have never happened.

[BC 331]

People, not devices, compromise privacy. It's not your phone's fault you don't know how the 5th amendment works. Recording phone calls is still illegal, at least in my state. You should already know that any string of text you insert into any medium of technology is unsafe. If you don't want to run the risk of something being read by an audience you didn't intend, limit the information to audio or face to face communication. If you're paranoid about emails be one of those people to have that email signature that says "all content in this email is confidential and not to be shared." In addition, you can even turn off the location feature on social media accounts, and people will have no way of knowing your location at any given time when you interact with your personal messages or news feeds. There are people that still exist in this world without owning smart phones.

 

Embrace your own freedom of choice. Imagine that.

[BwareDWare94 723]

I don't own a smartphone. I love my simple phone. I can only call and text, and because of that, I'm never glued to the screen and ignoring people.

[Omerta+ 1,206]

I have a house phone, that is it. I dont like cell phones, it is antiquated but I still use a palm pilot.