Technology keeps advancing as the time passes, as well as security technology. The problem with that is that some technology tends to violate or is borderline violating people’s rights to privacy in certain areas. For that same reason, privacy advocacy organizations exist to maintain order and keep in check those possible threats to invading one’s right to privacy. Some of the privacy advocacy organizations include:
1. Electronic Privacy Information Center – Established 1994 as a nonprofit public interest research center in Washington, DC. It’s purpose is to protect people’s civil rights including the First Amendment as well as privacy.
2. American Civil Liberties Union – Founded in 1920 as a nonprofit National Civil Liberties Organization. Its focus is to protect individual rights and liberties, including the right to privacy regardless of their race, ethnicity, color, gender, sex, etc.
3. Electronic Frontier Foundation – Formed in 1990, the EFF is an organization
EFF Logo. Source: Google Plus
that serves the purpose of protecting digital rights regarding free speech, privacy, innovation, and consumer rights.
There are several privacy advocacy organization whose main purpose is to protect privacy and prevent the illegal tracking of individuals. In the excerpt of Little Brother, the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) becomes part of the story. They were said to be one of the civil liberties groups that fought for the right of Americans to use cryptography in order to prevent any illegal hacking of any sort. The EFF just like in Little Brother, protects individuals and represents them in court if that person’s case involves their right of privacy and free speech being violated. Their main focus is to keep the Internet safe to use.
Data mining companies are the ones subject to being chased by privacy advocacy organizations. A company named Intelius is an information commerce company that helps businesses by providing consumer reports such as background checks and basic people search that will allow businesses to make adequate decisions and solutions based on consumers. They call themselves an “ally” as well as provide “predictive intelligence” that is worth millions to businesses. However, the information collected and created as individual records are collected from other sites that allow Intelius to track down the user’s activity online without them knowing or consenting to it directly. The way that companies like Intelius that gather personal information about users protect themselves from violating the invasion of privacy online is by being certified with the TRUSTe‘s Privacy Seal that approves the sites functions as not violating the privacy policy. They also defend themselves by providing in their about us section details about how you can provide your own information to them or remove information about yourself from Intelius’ records.
The online reputation of users becomes very important especially since everything nowadays goes through online one way or another. Therefore, knowing that at any time we may be surfing the web we may be put under surveillance limits our free will and freedom of speech, and forces us to act in a certain way that may not be in our nature. This is where actions are sometimes mistaken for terrorist attempts or attacks, and where privacy advocacy groups like the EFF come in to explain the circumstances in which individuals are put in by the violation of privacy and invasion of freedom of speech. What solely determines actionable surveillance may be questioned and answered either by free will or by determinism.