Privacy and Social Media

Our right to privacy has been confirmed by the Supreme Court as part of our Constitutional rights. As it pertains to privacy and the use of technology, it's ultimately up to us as citizens and users to make sure that we hold those in government, law enforcement, and technology accountable for how our data is used or in some cases abused. We should be sure to ask our elected leaders about their stances on these issues when electing them as they influence the various agencies that provide oversight and create laws that dictate the level of privacy we enjoy. There may be some extreme circumstances where surveillance might be warranted to prevent terrorism or violent crime, but there must be strict guidelines around acceptable use and punishment for those who abuse it. 

In the same respect, as consumers and users of various technologies that have the ability to covertly share our data, we should be careful about the devices and services we choose to use. It's important to review privacy policies and what level of control a company gives you over your data before agreeing to use their services. In cases where you may not have opted in to the sharing of your data, like facial recognition, these companies and technologies need to be reviewed by our elected leaders to provide more oversight in to how they are used and regulated.