blog #9 In the Age of AI

After watching this video, I thought this information should be way more widespread, especially among the new generations, with the rise of social media. There are a lot of cases of moms on social media posting their minor children, and those children's faces are found on inappropriate websites, meaning these moms, who would hopefully do anything to protect their children, are unknowingly exploiting them and ruining their child's chance at a successful future and safety. I have always noticed the agreements and the “allow” or “block” buttons on my devices, but I have never read one of the agreements I've accepted. Knowing the information I have learned from this class, I will be reading these agreements because I am trying to avoid having my information but still have the devices I need to stay current in the world. I was shocked to learn about the living conditions in countries such as China, where government cameras are scanning your every movement and admitting to it. I could never imagine living in a world without some sort of privacy. A pro to this system is the government has more accessible access to crime happenings, and they are somewhat open to sharing the information they have on you and what they are collecting daily. A massive con to this system is that the government is also catching and gathering information on regular people, leaving them with no privacy and forced to live in constant fear. I do understand that the United States has more freedoms, and I will forever be grateful for that, but this system is somewhat inhumane. Google and Apple are working to keep people's information confidential, but only because they have been caught selling and sharing too many times, and quite honestly, that is scary. Sharing personal information could lead to identity theft, and though I have never had my identity stolen, it is a hassle to deal with, just to prove that you were you when you did not do anything to prompt this. It is a sad truth that millions of people have to live in conditions of surveillance and do not have the right to fight against it, no matter how hard they try. From my knowledge, the cons outweigh the pros, and many foreign countries are not even attempting to fix this; instead, they are enabling this behavior.