what you should find here...

I recently moved in with my relatives (a nice room to live in and save some rent ;) ) and even then struggled with the thought of losing my privacy. What about the World Wide Web then?! Always being finicky about handing out my information, I realize that I am leaving a trail whether I like it or not.

Privacy in the Digital Age is a really big concern today. Our personal space is constantly invaded by advertisers, telemarketers, salesmen, and anyone else looking to sell an idea, a product or their couch! Or worse, using our private information for illicit purposes. All it takes is for you to type information into your computer.

All of your information can be found if looked. For one, do you know what your IP address is? Well go to http://www.dnsstuff.com/ and find out! This website can track your IP address and give you YOUR approximate location. Websites like http://extremetracking.com/?home enable you to “picture the visitors of your website.” You can keep a track of who visits your website and the keywords they use to find you. Then wouldn’t a website you visited be doing this? Every time you search, a log of your requests are maintained and grouped to figure out a pattern of your interests. Moreover, over a period of time, by studying the keywords that you type in, one can almost definitely speculate who you are. If you’ve been researching on real estate or restaurants that you might want to have a nice dinner at, well putting together all that information, one can give an approximate location for where you might be.

On one hand you might argue this is bad, but on the other, this kind of accessibility can help prevent child molesters and locate criminal master minds. In fact Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said that Internet Service Providers should in fact maintain customer records in order to combat child pornography. http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/09/19/internet.records.ap/index.html
He argues that lack of information is the problem when it comes to catching the perves. Questioning the borders of ethics and morals and using information for the “good” is something of a hot topic. What say?

If you are a Journalism and Media student, this blog should be your zone, a space for you to deliberate on the issue of privacy that we face in today’s digital age. Journalism and Media students realize that this issue of privacy is an inherent problem and one that has to be dealt with. The objective of this blog is to explore what governs privacy and the various infringers that use information off the internet to reach individuals. You should find updated news links as well as archived articles to help further a cohesive understanding of current concerns. It would also prove as a source for those interested in research and understanding this very issue. I will do my best to post articles along with relevant articles that would provide greater comprehension. I also hope to provide information that could help individuals take steps to protect themselves, at least partially while accessing the World Wide Web.

Moreover, this blog aims to be a platform of self expression and a meeting ground for varied perspectives. It is also a great way to share experiences and insights and use the information for the greater good! Reiterating, welcome to the discussion!