Katie Crocker - Associate Editor
“To date, no U.S. legislation has dealt with the policies that permit government agencies and corporations to abuse personal data.”
Big Brother is watching.
No, really, it’s happening and the scary thing is… you gave them permission to do it.
The documentary “Terms and Conditions May Apply” sheds light on what you’re signing off on every time you click “accept” on the user agreement from Facebook, AT&T cell service, Instagram, Hulu and the like.
While this isn’t breaking news, it is a problem that has gone unchecked for far too long in a society that’s always connected. The good thing is, this documentary breaks down user agreements in a simple, clear way that will hopefully bring transparency to what is actually happening with your information and why people want it. It challenges companies, governmental agencies, cell phone providers and online social networks to form a line between staying connected and privacy.
Sherry Turkle, professor of Social Studies of Science and technology at MIT says it best in the documentary, ‘This is an area in which we have allowed ourselves to be smitten. We want this technology to grow and grow and we don’t want anything to rain on our parade. And we have woken up to privacy concerns, in my view, at least four years too late.”
The documentary brings privacy laws to the forefront for debate and gently reminders users that while staying connected is part of our technological future, it can also be dangerous in violating basic civil rights and certain freedoms.
“Terms and Conditions May Apply” is a must see for anyone with a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or email account. Yeah, most of us.
