Privacy: are we fighting a losing battle?

As a child I had a choice. Tell my friend my secret or keep it to myself; in both instances I could trust that my privacy was pretty secure. Today, the simplicity of that choice has gone. The latest advancements in technology and the bursting world of social media has meant that the line between the private and the public has blurred beyond recognition. As the method of telling my friends my secrets changes, so too does the intrinsic value we attribute to our own privacy. The BBC News app abounds with headlines such as “Twitter program ‘maps nation’s mood’”, “Facebook debates privacy code update” and “Google searches predict market moves” demonstrating the way in which our seemingly innocent (and naively-assumed to be) private comments are contributing towards the profits of the multinationals. 

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t for one second think that Google or Facebook are interested in the microcosm that is my world or whether or not people retweet my poignant musings on the nature of existence but they are interested in everybody’s musings and what the world is collectively tweeting about ATM. It is this ‘mass’ data that is the new global currency. The ability to analyse the tweets or searches of millions in an instance gives a company an accurate picture of the ‘now’. They are able to predict the zeitgeist as it shifts and it is this knowledge that is power to these companies.

But what does this mean for the A level student? Well for those studying AQA RST3A it means a lot and I believe the dilemma is as stark as the Science and Technology unit presents it. “Who should control who?” Should the scientist and technician lead the pack with the philosopher lagging behind or should ethics play a decisive and crucial in shaping the future of privacy invading technology? 

I know my answer. The job of the philosophers is to consider the options and outline the path, to predict the pitfalls and most importantly to acknowledge the strengths and build on them. So we need to play our role effectively, we should be leading this discussion but in such a way as to drive the advancements in technology forward for all parties concerned and not just to line the pockets of Zuckerberg et al.

So are we fighting a losing battle? I honestly don’t know. But there is one thing that I am sure of. We will do if we fail to fight back.  

Liam Spencer, Morley Academy