Rights Behind Privacy

 Oftentimes, we forget our rights as individuals and especially online. In 1986, the federal law protecting our electronic information was passed. This means that this law was put in place before the World Wide Web was up and running. Yet, technological innovation has outpaced individuals privacy protections. The government argues that the Fourth Amendment protects information that you keep in your desk, but not information that you keep online, like old emails or pictures. Resulting in our digital footprints being tracked by the government and other companies in ways we couldn't even imagine. In order to carry out mass surveillance, the NSA has weakened the security of the communications systems that we all rely on. They care more about watching our every move than the security and safety of those that may want to live a private life. Or what about people running away from situations such as domestic violence, stalking, or any other dangerous situation. With more and more of our lives moving online, intrusions by governments and corporations have devastating implications for our right to privacy. Literally everything we do, everything we say, and everywhere we go is considered fair game for all of the corporations, consumers, and government.