Privacy in the Digital Age

 

My Digital Tattoo 

When I turned 18, I was so enthused to get my first tattoo, not knowing that a much more permanent tattoo had already taken shape in my life. My digital tattoo, as referred to by Juan Enriquez, began when I was in 6th grade and created my first Instagram account. At the time, I didn't post much and ran a fairly inactive account. Now, that I am on FaceBook my digital tattoo is present more than ever. This is because FaceBook makes it so easy to overshare. It's easy to see hometown, birthplace, check-ins, pages that you follow, and favorite movies. All of this information that we oftentimes use as security questions become public knowledge. This on top of the embarrassing photos that your parents post of you makes up your digital tattoo. In a way because of this, my digital tattoo started before I even had a say in it. 

I believe with platforms such as FaceBook that it is incredibly important to exercise caution in what you share. In fact, my friends and I refer to it as the ultimate stalking app because nothing is ever truly gone in the eyes of FaceBook. Personally, my digital tattoo reflects who I am as a person, which is what I love about it. The only platform in which my legal name is present is with my LinkedIn. On Instagram I only use my first name and unlike other students, my school is not in my bio. Most of my friends take a careful approach in limiting the amount of information that is known about them. On the other side, my family's digital tattoo is one of those ones you look at and think there is no way they actually posted that. But, everyone has a different tattoo style, and I believe the same concept applies here. 

It is no secret that social media platforms sell your information or that what you post follows you for life. 

I don't like the thought of my information being sold but if I had that much of an issue with it, I would not use social media at all. As far as government involvement, I believe it is needed with defamation and revenge porn cases. Instances such as these are detrimental to an individuals career and mental health. Social media is positive in some ways, but the cancel culture that has emerged from revenge porn and the mass spread of misinformation is unfathomable. Just earlier this year, a Texas women won $1.2 billion after a revenge porn case. Her ex-boyfriend decided to leak images to family, friends, and co-workers, and told her that she would have to "spend the rest of [her] life trying and failing to wipe [herself] off the internet." Not only is this malicious, humiliating, and disgusting, but it became a part of her digital tattoo. No matter what, those images will always be out there in a way although she didn't decide to make this a part of her digital tattoo; and I think that's the concerning part. Instances like these in which humanity fails to be humane is when the government needs to step up. It is unfortunate the amount of lives -both young and old that have been ruined by revenge porn and the simple share of misinformation. 

To avoid your digital reputation being tarnished, here are a few things you can do to protect yourself:

(a) Set accounts to private. 

(b) Limit what you say -don't make inappropriate posts or one's filled with profanity. 

(c) Control your image. Exercise caution in what photos of yourself you choose to post or what you allow others to post of you. 

(d) Don't share sexually explicit photos of yourself or allow for them to be taken.

(e) Set-up multi-factor authentication. 

(f) Just share the basics. 

The scary thing about a digital tattoo is that it will be with you way after you die. Control your digital tattoo, in the same way that you control the tattoos you have on your body. 

False Flag

 

False Flag Operations

The media has recently picked up the term "false flag" with headlines such as "Inside the Republican false-flag effort to turn off Kamala Harris voters" and "U.S 'false flag' operations pollute global cyberspace".  But, what does this term mean? Well, a false flag is best defined as a government or military carrying out an operation with the intent to blame it on the opposing side; ultimately attempting to use it as an excuse to engage in war. The term has also been picked up by conspiracy theorists to accuse the government of certain events. For example, the belief that 9/11 was actually orchestrated by the United States government, so that they could invade Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. 

The term "false flag" actually comes from the 16th century in which pirates would fly friendly flags to encourage others that their own was safe. When in firing range, they would then change it to their true flag. Eventually, the term grew to be associated with Roman Catholicism in which anti-Catholics painted themselves as religious individuals while they were secretly engaging in activities that were frowned upon. 

Throughout history, Operation Himmler and Operation Northwoods remain the most notable examples of false flags. 

Operation Himmler involved a series of attacks in which German soldiers took on the appearance of
Polish soldiers, this series of events would justify Hitler's planned invasion of Poland. It was no secret that Hitler was running various forms of propaganda that reflected Polish people in a negative light. In fact, Hitler himself said "I will provide a propagandistic casus belli. Its credibility doesn't matter. The victor will not be asked whether or not he told the truth." But on the night of August 31st is when it truly came to light, with the Glewitz Incident. This involved a group of German soldiers dressing up as Polish ones and sending a message out in Polish from the Gliwice Radio Tower, that painted Germans in a negative manner. This in combination with a few lesser known false flags allowed for Hitler to deliver a speech on September 1st that justified the government's attitude and actions towards Poland. 

Operation Northwoods, planned in 1960 was designed by the U.S government to encourage citizens support for a war with Cuba. Potential plans included the bombing of U.S ships and planned terrorist attacks on U.S cities. The concerning part is that military leaders supported this plan and presented it to the Kennedy administration, but it was rejected. However, Operation Northwoods was not public knowledge until 40 years after its planning because it was embarrassing to the Joint Chief of Staff. 

In modern day, Russia is one of the biggest leaders in false flag operations. In 2008, Russia sent in troops to cause disturbances in Georgia and when Georgia decided to respond, the Russian government then carried out their planned invasion of Georgia. In 2014, Russian soldiers entered Ukraine acting as if they were local forces and took over government buildings -this led to their current occupation of Crimea. Just in 2017, Russia disguised themselves as ISIS hackers to avoid taking responsibility for cyberattacks on Ukrainian businesses. 

Any major terrorist attack or major event that you can think of can be considered a false flag. Examples include the earlier stated one of 9/11 to mass shootings actually being organized by the government to push a gun-control agenda. The narrative that the storming of Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021, was actually organized by the terrorist group antifa and anti-Trump supporters is also an example. 

False flags impact each and every demographic. Could you imagine what little trust you would have in the U.S government if Operation Northwoods was actually carried out? Or how you would feel if the government was actually behind 9/11. False flags overstep government's powers and are a way to affectively control citizens minds. Imagine, living in a world where you cannot trust what you see with your own eyes -this is the kind of world that false flag operations create. 

EOTC Timeline Reax 2

Deepfakes

Prior to this presentation, I had never heard of the term deepfake. But with generative AI becoming more and more advanced, the accuracy of deepfakes is a growing concern. What happens when you don't have a fan base as supportive as Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish? Or what happens when it happens to the average everyday citizen? The advancement of AI is positive in some ways, but I cannot imagine the impact of deepfakes in instances such as child custody battles. 

It takes a diligent person to detect a deepfake. Unless you are familiar with a person, a deepfake image or video can be quite convincing. For example, I was able to detect the fake images of Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, but not the video of Joe Burrow. A large part of this is that I am familiar with Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish's character, but not Joe Burrow's. So, a video of him explaining his displeasure with losing a game seemed valid. I would never have thought about the questionable video quality, the lack of emotion, or the impact that such statements would have had on his career. 

In knowing that I could even be impacted by such advancements of AI, it is that much more important to exercise caution with information that I share publicly. For example, setting my accounts to private, only accepting friend requests from people I know, and limiting the amount of photos of myself that are online. I believe that these tips are useful, even if you are not the target of deepfakes because it allows for you to practice internet safety.

I think the scariest part of deepfakes, is that the people who create them have no care for how it will impact another's reputation. In today's age you must exercise caution trusting even what you see with your own eyes. 

EOTC Timeline Reax

 

Evolution of Communication Timeline 

On Thursday, November 7, I was given the privilege to listen to my peers present information on the growth of different forms of technology. Examples ranged from telephones, SMS messaging, and the first smartphone. One of the huge things I noticed is how interconnected  the timeline is, and without one discovery, you cannot truly have the next. 

Although I learned quite a bit from various peers, I found myself appreciating the history behind FaceBook and Instagram to be the most interesting as I knew the least about it. Oddly enough, I use them the most (aside from my smartphone).

So, here are the top five interesting facts that I learned about Facebook and Instagram (with some personal commentary sprinkled in):

(1) Facebook was created 20 years ago, in 2005, and originally named FaceSmash. I find it quite interesting that the social media platform underwent a name change in such a short span into its career. It reminds me of Twitter's recent change to X. I wonder if Facebook's name change had more success because of how similar the names were, or if it's because the name changed occurred when it was fairly young. Oddly enough, Instagram also underwent a name change from Burbn -which was honestly probably for the best. 

(2) Facebook was originally created for university students. I actually find this quite interesting and believe that university students now would benefit from a platform that is only for them. The argument could be made that TikTok is for university students, but it does not allow for connections in the way that apps such as ZeeMee do. 

(3) Misinformation especially in election year. Misinformation has been a growing concern across all social media platforms and arguably, one of the biggest issues with social media. Younger individuals tend to gravitate towards Instagram and repost 'facts' that are so outlandish that they don't even pass the giggle test. This has been especially true within the days after the election.  

(4) The Picture Perfect Life/Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). Exaggerated picture perfect lives have caused increased anxiety with teenagers as well as FOMO, when an individual sees a post, and feels excluded that they themselves were not invited to the event. To me, this is a valid that is more of a reflection of how an individual feels about their own life as opposed to the poster. I don't truly foresee this changing in the near future or a huge issue with social media.  

(5) Connectivity. One of the huge things that every piece of technology did on the timeline was promote communication and connectivity. Facebook and Instagram are no different and allow for connections with family, friends, and with individuals from other countries. 

Aside from what was presented, I would argue a huge downside to social media platforms are the increased amount of scams, hacking, and predators. Overall, I felt as though it was a great presentation and I definitely walked away with more knowledge than I went in with. 

AI Over The Years

 

Artificial Intelligence and the Job Market

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has grown throughout the years since its small start in the video game sector. Examples of this include self-park features on vehicles, self-ordering stations at McDonald's, and payments through facial recognitions in China. 

I remember the first time I truly took a step back and examined the usage of AI in school. It was the summer of 11th grade and I was at Governor's School studying social science (also known as nerd camp). In one of the lectures, we had to argue our support or opposition for the use of AI and why. At the time, my peers and I laughed at the thought that AI could truly be a threat to our future careers. Less than two years later, I'm looking at the same arguments, and I'm not laughing as much this time. 

Forbes recently ranked six reasons why Generation Z is struggling to find jobs -the number one struggle being competition with AI. From a business standpoint I can understand the push to use AI. AI can't call out sick, has a higher return rate over time, and doesn't have an ill-reputation. However, as a young woman looking to enter the work-force in the next two to three years, this worries me. How am I supposed to find a job if all the entry level positions are filled by an algorithm that on the grand scheme of things is much more capable than me. Just a couple of days after watching Frontline's film, on the growth of AI, I talked to one of my professor's about my concerns. Surprisingly enough, he had a much more positive outlook on the usage of AI and said that AI would in-fact take jobs, but that this is what happens overtime. An example he used to support his argument comes from the U.S Department of Agriculture, in that 9 out of every 10 Americans would have been a farmer in 1790. Overtime this statistic has dropped to about 2% of Americans being farmers. Overtime, farmers were replaced by machines that could do the job much more efficiently and quicker. The concern with AI really has to do with its rapid growth. 

As far as AI's impact on my family directly, I don't see it being much of a concern. My father has worked for the government for the past 30 years and my brother will start his job working for the government in the near future. From my father's service to the government, he has his Thrift Savings Plan, 401K, and job security. 

far as myself, I'm not the most concerned with the rapid growth of AI. Recently with looking for career options I've settled on pursuing a career working for the government, and becoming a Foreign Service Officer. I believe that this job is fairly protected depending on placement as well as the humanity factor that is required for it. Unlike a job with McDonald's in which I am alright ordering and prefer ordering from a machine, I cannot fathom relying on a robot to represent my country. The government is also quite conservative with its usage of technology, sometimes it almost feels like a blast from the past. 

Concerns for my friends vary in a way. I talked with my friend who goes to a different university about her concerns with AI, and they were fairly neutral. She actually remarked that she is encouraged to use AI as grounds for inspiration for her work -which is how I believe AI should be implemented in schools. On the other hand, I worry for my friends pursuing degrees in Computer Science in which the field for that is becoming much more competitive. 

To my surprise, the government is already becoming involved with the usage of AI, with the planned launch of the Global AI Research Agenda. The Biden Administration signed an executive order on 30 October 2023, that focuses on the responsible usage of AI. I firmly believe that AI is a threat to the everyday American citizen's job and that it is the government's job to step in before it is too late. AI has grown to the point that it can mimic voices. Imagine being arrested based off of an incriminating phone call that you did not make just because someone used AI to mimic your voice. I actually wished that this topic was focused on more with the election this year. Do I believe that a law should be passed about the responsible and extent for the usage of AI? Yes. I believe that passing a law that allows for only so much of the company to be filled by AI jobs. 

At the end of the day, there are steps that can be taken to protect one's self from the negative side of AI. 

(1) Review Privacy Settings. Oftentimes we share data with sites that we don't need to. This allows for AI to "steal" and sell data. 

(2) Review Personal Identifiable Information (PII) that IS Public. This is a huge one with social media platforms and hiding small details makes a difference in the long-run. Examples of details to hide include your phone number, birthday, hometown, and workplace information.

(3) Don't Answer the Phone. Unless you're expecting a call from an unknown number, do NOT answer the phone. If it's important enough the caller will leave a message. This is a growing tactic that is used in which a simple "yes" to an answer over the phone can be used to mimic one's voice and be crafted in ways to use in scams. 

As a student, the biggest thing I can do is develop a unique and diverse set of skills that set me apart from AI. Knowing how to responsibly use AI, as well as displaying skills to potential employers that only I have, helps to protect my job in the future. Only time will tell if AI will become more harmful in the upcoming years, but at its current rate of growth, I would argue that its bound to.