Jokes about how our phones are spying on us are commonplace now. I've heard many stories about ads for products just discussed appearing on someone's feed. Some of these fears are legitimate- devices such as Amazon's Alexa are set to record every time they hear their activation command ("Alexa"). Even worse, there have been many concerns over how accurate this technology is- Alexa is known to occasionally start recording randomly, and Amazon saves these recordings indefinitely (The Washington Post). With more and more people buying Alexas for the convenience of being able to use voice commands and do things like set timers and find out the weather forecast hands-free, we could all be at risk of having our conversations recorded at any minute. Even if you don't personally own such a device, any person's house that you enter may or may not own one. For many, this lack of privacy isn't necessarily a huge risk, but what could happen if the Alexa archives of high-ranking government officials were hacked and sensitive information was discovered? Even for those of us who aren't likely to be blackmailed or have our conversations be an issue of national security, we probably don't want corporations included in our day to day life.
Rather than just accepting this lack of privacy as a new aspect of life, however, some individuals are taking it as a challenge to be solved. Computer Science professors at the University of Chicago just designed a "bracelet of silence" that blocks nearby microphones through emitting ultrasonic signals. They expect to be able to manufacture it for just $20. They aren't the only ones fighting surveillance, either—others have designed reflective glasses to hide the wearers face from cameras, or heat blocking garments to hide from drones that detect heat signatures (New
York Times). These technologies could become vital for privacy in the future, especially for protestors in countries such as China. Although a larger conversation about regulations for companies collecting data like this is definitely needed, technologies like these are a good intermediary to help us take back some of our privacy.
Rather than just accepting this lack of privacy as a new aspect of life, however, some individuals are taking it as a challenge to be solved. Computer Science professors at the University of Chicago just designed a "bracelet of silence" that blocks nearby microphones through emitting ultrasonic signals. They expect to be able to manufacture it for just $20. They aren't the only ones fighting surveillance, either—others have designed reflective glasses to hide the wearers face from cameras, or heat blocking garments to hide from drones that detect heat signatures (New
I agree that we need more solutions to prevent constant surveillance. My parents have always jokingly suggested our Alexa or Google Home was collecting enough information to destroy us. While I don’t think it would get that far, I think the constant surveillance does pose a threat to our privacy. Monitoring phone calls and conversations could prevent catastrophes from happening, but it also compromises our ability to talk securely. We can’t ensure anything we’ve said about someone, even in the heat of anger, won’t reach their ears. As you pointed out, this poses a threat to authority figures in particular, as an offhand comment could be used against them. Making new devices like the “bracelet of silence” could help stem the problems of constant surveillance, but I agree that more policies should be put in place to protect our privacy.
ReplyDeleteI remember this topic was heavily discussed in class during your presentation. I think the best/simplest way to prevent the threat of constant surveillance is to simply not have a device like the Amazon Alexa in your home. This topic was discussed in one of my classes last semester, where one of my classmates argued that, while creepy, it sometimes is a marketing scheme to tailor products to consumers. My classmate said that she had a conversation with someone, saying she was looking at this certain brand of boots and how nice it would be to get them. Next time she opened her phone, she saw an ad for the previously mentioned boots. For those who are concerned about being listened to, the bracelet of silence holds a lot of promise, especially if it can be mass marketed.
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