My details come cheap
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 by Shell
The lecture on privacy is certainly one that got me thinking. In particular I was interested in the idea of a division between those that were complacent about privacy in the ‘cyberworld’ and those that were simply ignorant. I found myself comparing the way I use and view the internet with my Brother's computer habits. Firstly, I love free samples. So, when I heard a television advertisement that told me to log on to a website, fill in a simple form and get free stuff I was quick to act. Thinking back on it though, I seem to have been pretty blaze about the handing over of my details. Surely my personal details should mean more than a sample size bottle of shampoo? (or a full size for that matter). This may sound like a trivial example, however for me it highlights how little I thought about the way that my data was going to be used. Another example that people may be familliar with is the bribe of free credit when you sign up to a mobile network, in excahange for your personal details. Again free credit is extremely tempting, but is this really an equal trade-off?
Yet my handing over of details was not a matter of ignorance, but more that I just didn't care.
On the other hand, the study by Kevin Lewis et al- A Taste for Privacy, that found that the more time people spent online the more cautious people were, reminded me of the oppositional way my brother views and uses the internet. He works as ‘the computer guy’ at a High School and as such spends a lot of time online- in a professional sense and as a leisure pursuit. Matching up with the findings of the study- his cautiousness is to the extreme of paranoia. He refuses to enter any competitions and under no circumstances would enter into the free sample bribe. What’s more he meticulously reads over the privacy agreements on any sites he is using online. I have always found it very extreme, but this lecture on privacy made me re-evaluate how freely I may circulate information on the internet.
Yet my handing over of details was not a matter of ignorance, but more that I just didn't care.
On the other hand, the study by Kevin Lewis et al- A Taste for Privacy, that found that the more time people spent online the more cautious people were, reminded me of the oppositional way my brother views and uses the internet. He works as ‘the computer guy’ at a High School and as such spends a lot of time online- in a professional sense and as a leisure pursuit. Matching up with the findings of the study- his cautiousness is to the extreme of paranoia. He refuses to enter any competitions and under no circumstances would enter into the free sample bribe. What’s more he meticulously reads over the privacy agreements on any sites he is using online. I have always found it very extreme, but this lecture on privacy made me re-evaluate how freely I may circulate information on the internet.