It's a Public World, After All

IT’S A PUBLIC
WORLD, AFTER ALL
By Julia Partington
Photo Source: Layers of the Earth:
http://www.ask.com/science/explore/layers-of-the-earth

“Privacy is dead. Or so they say. While we do our best to keep
parts of our lives away from prying eyes, it’s becoming
increasingly difficult to stay ‘off the grid’” – Luke Villapaz.
Information Source: Villapaz, Luke. “7 Ways You’re Being Tracked In The Modern
World: Is Privacy In The 21st Century Possible?”. July 18th, 2013. Web. Retrieved
from: http://www.ibtimes.com/7-ways-youre-being-tracked-modern-world-
privacy-21st-century-possible-1351479
Photo Source: Differential Privacy: How to make Privacy and Data Mining
Compatible: http://www.kdnuggets.com/2015/01/differential-privacy-data-
mining-compatible.html

Surveillance cameras, automatic
license plate readers, cookies, search
engines, email, GPS and social media,
like Facebook, are a few examples of
how the world has not only become
smaller, but a more public place.
Human lives are not so surreptitious
anymore, and privacy appears to be
something of the past.
Information Source: Villapaz, Luke. “7 Ways You’re Being Tracked In The Modern World: Is
Privacy In The 21st Century Possible?”. July 18th, 2013. Web. Retrieved from:
http://www.ibtimes.com/7-ways-youre-being-tracked-modern-world-privacy-21st-century-
possible-1351479
Photo Source: 8 Ways to Protect your Online Privacy: http://eraser.heidi.ie/8-ways-to-protect-
your-online-privacy/

“Why does privacy matter?
Often courts and
commentators struggle to
articulate why privacy is
valuable. They see privacy
violations as often slight
annoyances.”
“But privacy matters
a lot more than
that.” – Daniel
Solove
Information Source: Solove, Daniel. “10 Reasons Why
Privacy Matters”. January 13th, 2014. Web. Retrieved from:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140113044954-
2259773-10-reasons-why-privacy-matters
Photo Source: 10 Reasons Why Privacy Matters:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140113044954-

Privacy offers a limit on power, respect for individuals,
reputation management, maintenance of appropriate
social boundaries, control over one’s life, freedom of
thought and speech, freedom of social and political
activities, the ability to change and have second chances,
not having to explain or justify oneself and most of all,
privacy offers trust. In relationships, whether personal,
professional, governmental or commercial, we depend
upon trusting the other party. When trust is breached in
one relationship, that could make us more reluctant to
trust in other relationships.
Information Source: Solove, Daniel. “10 Reasons Why Privacy Matters”.
January 13th, 2014. Web. Retrieved from:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140113044954-2259773-10-reasons-
why-privacy-matters
Photo Source: Yes, but can they TRUST you?:
http://www.authenticmasculinity.com/can-they-trust-you/

Invasion of privacy or a parental right?
One father confesses that he snoops on
his children via internet activity. In
some ways, he admits it was a mistake.
But, in other ways it showed him things
about his children that he never would
have learned otherwise.
A permanent loss of trust? For this father’s
many years of snooping, the only punitive
behaviour he could find was a situation where
“smoking pot” at a party was discussed in an
instant messenger conversation. He believes
that what he did was justified because he
wanted to protect his children from
themselves. But in the end, the loss of trust
was actually much worse than anything he was
theoretically saving them from.
Information Source: Ingram, Matthew. Snooping on your kids: If the
NSA’s tools were available, I probably would have used them”.
August 7th, 2013. Web. Retrieved from:
https://gigaom.com/2013/08/07/snooping-on-your-kids-if-the-nsas-
tools-were-available-i-probably-would-have-used-them/
Photo Source: Perfectly Created Chaos!:
http://www.perfectlycreatedchaos.com/2015/04/5-reasons-its-ok-
to-trust-your-child.html

Today, parents are just one click away:
buddied up on Facebook, logging on to
Tumblr, peering over cryptic text
messages and trying to get a glimpse of
Snapchat images before they dissolve
into the ether.
Information Source: Paul, Pamela. “Cyberparenting and the Risk of TMI”.
May 3rd, 2013. Web. Retrieved from:
http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.queensu.ca/ps/i.do?id=GALE|A32869453
6&v=2.1&u=queensulaw&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=ed444bf722dd554
a00a728a96a4737f2
Photo Source: Netsanity: https://netsanity.net/blog/

Besides snooping, there is
another breach of trust
that parents have the
potential to do.
Information sharing. Once
a picture or a status
update is on the internet,
it’s there for anyone to
see or emulate. It can be
understandable that
children, who for the most
part do not have a social
media account, are asking
their parents to not post
anything about them
without permission. Social
media has become a
haven for parents showing
off their babies, children
and families. What they
fail to realize is just how
many people can view
their posts.
Information Source: Dell’Antonia, KJ. “Don’t Post About Me on Social Media,
Children Say”. March 8th, 2016. Web. Retrieved from:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/08/dont-post-about-me-on-social-media-
children-say/?_r=0
Photo Source: http://www.gazeta.ru/tech/2015/08/07/7671913/children-internet-
safety-and-socialisation.shtml

Information sharing has become a world wide phenomenon. Besides pictures, selfies and status updates,
it’s also about location. It seems as if anyone is happy to share what they look like, how they’re feeling and
where they are situated at any given time. In the modern world, people don’t seem to feel like themselves
unless they share a though or feeling. “I share, therefore I am” – Sherry Turkle.
Information Source: Turkle, Sherry. “The Documented Life”. December 16th, 2013.
Web. Retrieved from:
http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.queensu.ca/ps/i.do?id=GALE|A352990428&v=2.1&u=
queensulaw&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=64ed7fd1666adff5f62d1e8fab1a0ca1
Photo Source: McKesson Homecare Talk:
http://www.mckessonhomecaretalk.com/home-health-documentation/more-data-
more-movement-fewer-errors/

Thanks to information sharing, it’s now not only possible for friends, family or the public alike to know where you are,
but also for your electronics to recognize where you are located at any given time. Smartphone applications, or apps,
can collect location data and plot users’ comings and goings in detail. They can even track when you are close enough
to a particular retail store and give advertisement notifications.
“Does Groupon really need to know where you are every 20
minutes?” – Norman M. Sadeh, Carnegie Mellon professor.
Information Source: Dwoskin, Elizabeth. “Where Were You 3 Minutes Ago? Your
Apps Know”. March 23rd, 2015. Web. Retrieved from:
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/03/23/where-were-you-3-minutes-ago-your-apps-
know/?mod=LS1
Photo Source: Post-Graduation Advice: 5 Tips for New RMTs:
http://collegeofmassage.com/toronto/2013/06/post-graduation-advice-5-tips-for-
new-rmts/

Information sharing with location has it’s
benefits. One can let friends or family know
where they are so that if they’re close by, they
can join. It’s also fun to share a location that is
popular and well respected. On the other hand,
information sharing with location can be
dangerous. Allowing the wrong person to know
where one is located, can lead to tragic
circumstances. In Tulsa, Oklaholma of March
2013, a young girl mentioned on social media
that she was at home alone for the night as her
parents were away. This information got into
the wrong hands and the girl was murdered.
Information Source: KRMG. “Tulsa Police make progress in stabbing death of
Tulsa teen”. March 12th, 2013. Web. Retrieved from:
http://www.krmg.com/news/news/local/tulsa-police-make-progress-stabbing-
death-tulsa-te/nWpx8/
Photo Source: Microsoft Injects $15M Into Foursquare, Strikes Licensing Deal
For Location Data: http://www.fastcompany.com/3026029/microsoft-injects-
15m-into-foursquare-strikes-licensing-deal-for-location-data

“On Facebook, it is as simple
as hitting the ‘check in’
button. It’s not just about
what can happen to you when
you’re away from home, but
what could be happening
when you’re not there that
could really cost you” – Cheryl
Mercedes.
Information Source: Mercedes, Cheryl. “Checking in on Facebook comes with hidden
dangers”. 2011. Web. Retrieved from:
http://www.wafb.com/story/14603770/hidden-dangers-from-checking-in-on-
facebook
Photo Source: Maui Made: https://mauimadeblog.com/category/facebook-tips/

For some, checking in and letting those on social media
know your every wherabouts is an everyday thing.
People check in everyday, from home, from the
hardware store, from the bank and everywhere else that
is on their list of errands to do for the day. This can make
it easy for anyone, that would care about your location,
to follow you around.
Information Source: Mercedes, Cheryl. “Checking in on Facebook comes with
hidden dangers”. 2011. Web. Retrieved from:
http://www.wafb.com/story/14603770/hidden-dangers-from-checking-in-on-
facebook
Photo Source: https://twitter.com/chrisbjames

Because of modern society, and the
more “public” world we live in, in a
sense, it needs to be accepted that our
lives are not 100% private. Some try to
stay off the grid by not having social
media, while others use social media
but try to be more diligent when it
comes to keeping information sharing
either at a minimum or as private as
possible.
“The degree of one’s privacy concern can be determined by the level of sensitivity of the
information to be shared” – Chang and Heo.
Facebook users for instance, may not have much risk perception on the Facebook domain when
they are already used to the site and had experience with location check-in. It is also stated that a
lot of the younger generation users of Facebook have less privacy concerns.
Information Source: Kim, Hyang-Sook. “What drives you to check in on Facebook?
Motivations, privacy concerns, and mobile phone involvement for location-based
information sharing”. August 16th, 2015. Web. Retrieved from:
http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy.queensu.ca/science/article/pii/S0747563215300
947
Photo Source: Awesome-ifying Your Facebook Profile:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Awesome-ifying-Your-Facebook-Profile/

Teens, the younger age group of
social media, share a wide range
of information about themselves
on sites such as Facebook. In a
recent study, between 2006 –
2012, it shows that teens are
sharing more information than
they did in the past.
Information Source: Madden, Mary et al. “Teens, Social Media and Privacy”. May
21st, 2013. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/21/teens-
social-media-and-privacy/
Photo Source: The Teen Vanishing Act: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ana-
homayoun/the-teen-vanishing-act-ho_b_4351508.html

Teens are increasingly sharing personal information on
social media sites, a trend that is likely driven by evolution
of the platforms teens use as well as changing norms
around sharing.
Information Source: Madden, Mary et al. “Teens, Social Media and Privacy”.
May 21st, 2013. Web. Retrieved from:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/21/teens-social-media-and-privacy/
Photo Source: Facebook ‘makes users lonely and angry as they compare
themselves to other people’s seemingly perfect lives’:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/facebook-makes-users-lonely-angry-
6802585

Beyond basic profile information, some teens choose to enable the automatic inclusion of
location information when they post. Some 16% of teen social media users said they set up
their profile or account so that it automatically includes their location posts. Focus group
data suggests that many teens find sharing their location unnecessary and unsafe, while
others appreciate the opportunity to signal their location to friends and parents.
Information Source: Madden, Mary et al. “Teens, Social Media and Privacy”. May 21st,
2013. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/21/teens-social-
media-and-privacy/
Photo Source: Study: Social Media Helps With Teenage Empathy, Awareness:
http://www.educationnews.org/technology/study-social-media-helps-with-teenage-
empathy-awareness/

As the world becomes a smaller place, it’s easy to get
access to almost anything. Google the search engine knows
what you’re looking for, Facebook the social media platform
knows what you like. Sharing is the norm and secrecy is
out. It’s the end of privacy. What will be the outcome?
Information Source: Preston, Alex. “The death of privacy”. August 3rd, 2014. Web.
Retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/03/internet-death-
privacy-google-facebook-alex-preston
Photo Source: Job No. 1: Protecting your customers’ data and privacy in the cloud:
https://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2014/05/22/job-no-1-protecting-your-
customers-data-and-privacy-in-the-cloud/#sm.000f3rduj10widc9wra19reh1xvte

One important example of this
outcome is what happened at the
Cincinnati Zoo, where a gorilla’s
plight was to be put down to keep a
child safe. The public wasted no
time to find the mother of the child
and denounce not only her
parenting, but also her child’s
behaviour. Her child’s preschool was
located and received a flood of
inappropriate comments on their
Facebook page, causing them to
take down the page altogether.
Putting aside the actions of the
mother, the child and the zoo, this is
a good example of how the public
was quick to judge without knowing
the whole story, causing what is
popular to be known as “public
shaming”.
Information Source: Mettler, Katie. After Cincinnati Zoo kills gorilla to protect toddler,
critics attack mother”. May 31st, 2016. Retrieved from:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/midwest/ct-cincinnati-zoo-kills-
gorilla-20160531-story.html
Photo Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/midwest/ct-
cincinnati-zoo-kills-gorilla-20160531-story.html

Another example is the unfortunate killing of a famous lion named
Cecil, who was hunted by an American dentist for sport. The dentist,
who had no idea that this lion was off limits, did not face charges in
the matter. As a result, he was tracked down and received threats
not only at his practice, but also at his home. Whether or not it was
an accident, this person, like the mother and child at Cincinnati Zoo,
went from nobodies to publicly shamed world wide overnight.
Information Source: BBC News. “Cecil the lion: No charges for Walter Palmer,
says Zimbabwe”. October 12th, 2015. Web. Retrieved from:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34508269
Photo Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34508269

Now that we all live in a more public world, the
future of privacy is bleak. The things that we have
shared are out there, disseminated, copied and,
we will never really fully be able to delete what
has been sent. The good news is that, though not
forgotten, some people have methods of sharing
positive attributes to so-called “out search” the
negative memories. This makes the information
shared become like breadcrumbs and taper off,
meaning the public has either forgotten or no
longer cares. So in other words, one exists for all
to see, but how much they’re going to care after a
while is another story.
Information Source: Hildebrandt, Katia. “(Digital Identity in a World that No
Longer Forgets”. October 15th, 2015. Web. Retrieved from:
http://educationaltechnology.ca/couros/2620
Photo Source: Data Privacy and Security: Bridging the Gap:
https://www.threatmetrix.com/blog/data-breach/shared-intelligence-privacy/

Works Cited
- Villapaz, Luke. “7 Ways You’re Being Tracked In The Modern World: Is Privacy In The 21st Century Possible?”. July 18th, 2013. Web.
Retrieved from: http://www.ibtimes.com/7-ways-youre-being-tracked-modern-world-privacy-21st-century-possible-1351479
- Solove, Daniel. “10 Reasons Why Privacy Matters”. January 13th, 2014. Web. Retrieved from:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140113044954-2259773-10-reasons-why-privacy-matters
- Ingram, Matthew. Snooping on your kids: If the NSA’s tools were available, I probably would have used them”. August 7th, 2013. Web.
Retrieved from: https://gigaom.com/2013/08/07/snooping-on-your-kids-if-the-nsas-tools-were-available-i-probably-would-have-used-
them/
- Paul, Pamela. “Cyberparenting and the Risk of TMI”. May 3rd, 2013. Web. Retrieved from:
http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.queensu.ca/ps/i.do?id=GALE|A328694536&v=2.1&u=queensulaw&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=ed444bf72
2dd554a00a728a96a4737f2
- Dell’Antonia, KJ. “Don’t Post About Me on Social Media, Children Say”. March 8th, 2016. Web. Retrieved from:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/08/dont-post-about-me-on-social-media-children-say/?_r=0
- Turkle, Sherry. “The Documented Life”. December 16th, 2013. Web. Retrieved from:
http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.queensu.ca/ps/i.do?id=GALE|A352990428&v=2.1&u=queensulaw&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=64ed7fd16
66adff5f62d1e8fab1a0ca1
- Dwoskin, Elizabeth. “Where Were You 3 Minutes Ago? Your Apps Know”. March 23rd, 2015. Web. Retrieved from:
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/03/23/where-were-you-3-minutes-ago-your-apps-know/?mod=LS1
- KRMG. “Tulsa Police make progress in stabbing death of Tulsa teen”. March 12th, 2013. Web. Retrieved from:
http://www.krmg.com/news/news/local/tulsa-police-make-progress-stabbing-death-tulsa-te/nWpx8/
- Mercedes, Cheryl. “Checking in on Facebook comes with hidden dangers”. 2011. Web. Retrieved from:
http://www.wafb.com/story/14603770/hidden-dangers-from-checking-in-on-facebook
- Kim, Hyang-Sook. “What drives you to check in on Facebook? Motivations, privacy concerns, and mobile phone involvement for location-
based information sharing”. August 16th, 2015. Web. Retrieved from:
http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy.queensu.ca/science/article/pii/S0747563215300947

Works Cited
- Madden, Mary et al. “Teens, Social Media and Privacy”. May 21st, 2013. Web. Retrieved from:
http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/21/teens-social-media-and-privacy/
- Preston, Alex. “The death of privacy”. August 3rd, 2014. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/03/internet-
death-privacy-google-facebook-alex-preston
- Mettler, Katie. After Cincinnati Zoo kills gorilla to protect toddler, critics attack mother”. May 31st, 2016. Retrieved from:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/midwest/ct-cincinnati-zoo-kills-gorilla-20160531-story.html
- BBC News. “Cecil the lion: No charges for Walter Palmer, says Zimbabwe”. October 12th, 2015. Web. Retrieved from:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34508269
- Hildebrandt, Katia. “(Digital Identity in a World that No Longer Forgets”. October 15th, 2015. Web. Retrieved from:
http://educationaltechnology.ca/couros/2620

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