It seems like the siege on our privacy escalates on a daily basis. Hacked cell phones, compromised financial and personal information at popular shopping destinations, and the snooping of our own government security agencies all serve as constant reminders of our vulnerability in a digital world. While we're all aware of the dangers that viruses, malware, keyloggers, and poor passwords pose to us, there is a more subtle threat to our privacy that often escapes notice...metadata.
The "Guardian guide to your metadata," inspired primarily by the controversial NSA surveillance program, provides an interesting look at the way in which our metadata is collected, and the ways in which it can be used against us. Helpfully contained in the article is a listing of the various types of devices and technologies that we utilize on a daily basis, and the types of metadata taken from it. For example, did you know that information such as your: search queries, search results, and the webpages you visit are all elements of metadata collected when you utilize the internet. Or how about: the phone numbers of people that you call or receive calls from, the length of your phone conversations and the time they took place, and even the location that the phone call occurred from?
If this isn't sobering enough, the article provides a case study in just how our metadata can compromise our personal privacy, as illustrated by the case of General David Petraeus.
While most of us are rightly horrified by the prospect of our privacy being invaded through the collection of metadata, there is a rather interesting notion to be explored in how this information creates a sort of historical record of modern times. That is a topic I hope to look at a little closer in a future blog.
Metadata is the new buzzword these days, and it is quite fortuitous for us to be taking such a course at such a time. My guess is we will discuss this quite a bit as class progresses. Good post.
ReplyDeleteWhat gets me is how openly we give up information about ourselves. Consider
ReplyDeleteFacebook for example. Some people post pictures of their children, which probably will exist somewhere forever. Some of those pictures have metadata in them, which means the exact location where the photograph was taken can be identified. Even if it is a private account, surely people know their accounts are vulnerable to hacking. Not only that, but some people are comfortable sharing everything. I for one prefer my privacy. The few social media accounts I have make me nervous. For people who are so concerned about our metadata being discovered, we offer so much data so freely as it is.
that Guardian link was awesome... thx! .. (oh, and your post, too :) )
ReplyDelete--Dr. MacCall