The Shallows Agreement and Partial Disagreement with Nicholas Carrs Approach to Internet Privacy - Essay Example

Section/# Agreement and Partial Disagreement with Nicholas Carr’s Approach to Internet Privacy It is without question that one of the most powerful means by which our society has been transformed is the Internet. The Internet has allowed individuals rapid access to a wealth of information as well as means of distraction and entertainment that television could only dream of. As a result of this the individual within society has begun to represent many changes as compared to previous generations. Some of these changes are positive whereas others are negative. For purposes of this particular analysis, the author will analyze Nicholas Carr’s “The Shallows”. Rather than delving into it point by point agreement for rebuttal of Carr’s piece, this author will attempt to integrate the analysis based upon Carr’s of the means by which more and more websites such as Google and Facebook seek to track their online users and glean potentially harmful levels of personal preferences and surfing history. As a means of such an analysis, it is the hope of this author that the reader will be able to integrate with one of the most important issues that exists within the realm of technology during the current era; the right an expectation to privacy. Although it is always been a policy of firms seeking to maximize their profits to endeavor to gain valuable information with regards to their client base, the extent to which websites such as Facebook and Google have gone to extract this information from their users is unprecedented. One of the trade-offs to the readily available information and use of social networking that both of these sites, as well is a host of others, display is the facts that they provide lengthy, nuanced, and ultimately confusing privacy policies that are written in what can only be described as many pages of legalese (O’Brien & Torres 69). Naturally, such privacy policies are intended not towards protecting the privacy of the individual Web server; rather, they are designed to protect against any liabilities that the firm may incur based upon their otherwise unscrupulous gathering of information of their users. It is the belief of this particular researcher that such practices are highly unethical and represent breaches of consumer confidence that in any other industry would be taken as an affront to consumer privacy and respect. Unfortunately, the level to which government is willing to safeguard the users of these monolithic and highly lucrative firms are extraordinarily limited (Carr 105). Although it is beyond the scope of this analysis to offer an in-depth discussion of why this might be, it is the belief of this particular researcher that the line between industry and government is particularly blurred both with respect to Facebook and to Google. This blurring has not helped the consumer/web surfer whatsoever; rather, it has only helped these firms to further market their products and seek to gain valuable information with regards to the habits and preferences of the millions of individuals that use their services on a daily basis. In the past, cooperation between the government and private firms has rarely turned out to the overall benefits of the end consumer. Although such a situation is possible, the level and extent to which government is currently reliant and highly cooperative with the likes of Google, Facebook and others does not bode well for the right to privacy from the end user/consumer (Gilbert 8). Naturally, the key concern is not center necessarily upon the fact that Google and others are seeking to track and retain this information; rather, the key issue becomes what did they intend on doing with such information/how will they use it/for how long will they keep it and who ultimately has access to it? Recently, I was so troubled by the level to which so many websites sought to place tracking cookies on the computer that I downloaded an ad on to Mozilla Firefox which is called “Ghostery”. This particular application helps to both block and alert the user to all the different websites, entities, and/or corporations that seek to gain information from the user with regards to their preferences, web surfing history, purchase history, and a litany of other key/personal information. Although total privacy can never be assured, the complete disregard that companies are beginning to show within cyberspace has reached such a monumental proportions that it can be compared to the level of corruption and greed that was displayed during the Gilded Age of American industry and politics. It is the hope of this particular student that as the technology and regulations continue to improve, as well as legal restrictions, the user will more appropriately be represented and will not need to go to such lengths in order to protect the most valuable commodity online; privacy. Ultimately, it is the belief of this author that Carr has correctly identified this particular aspect of the dangers that the web offers, both on an individual level and upon a corporate/governmental level, effect upon the end user. However, it is also the belief of this author that Carr has something of a jaded opinion towards the Internet and perhaps technology in general. Although the concerns that have been elaborated upon in this essay are of vital importance, they are not reason in of themselves to shun technology or the Internet. Instead, they are merely an example of the fact that the individual must integrate a level of care, as with any other activity, when using the Internet. Accordingly, the take away that this author would wish the reader to integrate with is that web surfing can and should be something that the individual expects a degree of privacy from. As such, key activities, actions, and preventions should be established so that the prying eyes and unscrupulous means by which these companies seek to extract data from the user are stymied at each and every turn. Only by seeking to resist this, rather than merely turning the technology often refusing to use it, can the users of such services display a degree of leverage. Works Cited Carr, Nicholas G. The shallows : what the Internet is doing to our brains. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. Print. Gilbert, Francoise. "Ftc V. Google: A Blueprint For Your Next Privacy Audit." Journal Of Internet Law 16.6 (2012): 1-18. Business Source Premier. Web. 9 Apr. 2013. O' Bien, Deirdre, and Ann M. Torres. "Social Networking And Online Privacy: Facebook Users' Perceptions." Irish Journal Of Management 31.2 (2012): 63-97. Business Source Premier. Web. 9 Apr. 2013. Read More