Jay Stanley works on the speech, privacy, and technology project at the American Civil Liberties Union. Here, he explains why we must protect our privacy when using new technology.
Many new toys and products include microphones and cameras. They can be fun and useful. But who is listening to the microphones? Who is watching the cameras?
Jay Stanley works on the speech, privacy, and technology project at the American Civil Liberties Union.
COURTESY ACLUPersonal assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home are examples of such devices. So are Hello Barbie dolls, the Xbox Kinect and other game consoles, and even some TVs and cars. Many have microphones that are always listening for a “trigger word.” This tells the device to start listening.
How can you be sure a device is recording only when you want it to? Three groups of people might spy on a microphone. These are the company that makes the product, the government, and hackers, or people who break into computers.
Companies usually have a privacy policy. It states what kind of listening they will do. It also explains what recordings they will store in their database
GETTY IMAGES
a collection of information stored digitally
(noun)
The library’s database showed that the book had not been returned.
. Sometimes, companies break those promises. This can get them into trouble with the government. Or they word their policy in a tricky way to confuse customers.
The police should not spy on any microphones unless they are going after a criminal. For this, they need permission from a judge. But sometimes, police spy on the wrong people. Because these innovations
KIYOSHI OTA—BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES
a new and different method or product
(noun)
People are excited by the latest innovations in gaming technology.
are so new, there aren’t yet clear laws to prevent them from doing so.
To protect your privacy, always make sure devices that connect to the Internet get software updates. They fix security flaws that can be used to spy on you.
More from Opinion
Share a Link
- Click the icon above to copy the url link to your clipboard.
- Paste the link into the location in which you share assignments with students. Examples might include, but are not limited to Canvas, Schoology and Edmodo.
Google Classroom
- Click on the icon above to share the article with a class in your Google Classroom.
- Choose an action. Options might include creating an assignment or asking a question.
