Digital Boundaries

Digital boundaries are one of the biggest concerns that internet users have. As we have entered an age of daily internet usage, we are also more cognizant of how companies mine our data. Our digital boundaries are more vulnerable to violations form outside sources. Hackers invade the privacy of social security networks all the time. We hear about tv networks having their show bibles and animation models leaked to online social media spaces. We also worry about password leaks as well. But we also hear about people’s private information being leaked. Social Media Users are often left fearing harassment and vitriol from other uses through doxxing of their home addresses, workplaces, schools, and other information. In even more sinister cases some people have to worry about private pictures being leaked from their cloud drives.

“I’ve Got Nothing to Hide” and Other Misunderstandings of Privacy by Daniel J Solove made me think about how unscrupulous the invasion of people’s computer spaces can really be. It’s one thing to check someone’s computer or cloud drive for illegal materials. It’s a whole other situation to just expect someone to be willing to show their private stuff just to give someone piece of mind. This is especially clear when it comes to fearmongering caused by terrorism, a global pandemic, political unrest, or intracommunal catastrophes. Think about how advertisements target us frequently and how we are given random advertisements based on the things we look up. The search engine on google remembers our digital footprints, our likes and dislikes on TikTok and YouTube dictate our recommended feeds, and the people we follow on Instagram gives us recommended users to follow. It only stand to reason that these social media companies are more than capable of violating our privacy. When one thinks about how AI is in the rise and how it steals from our works and images, the violation of our digital boundaries becomes an even bigger problem.