Government and Internet
I don't particularly believe that developers have the ability to inform the general public. If you have uninformed friends and family you can explain things to them, but in general people get their information from the news and other media. There are some exceptions to this, of course: Professor Scott Aaronson has written many posts on Quantum Computing on his very successful blog Shtetl-Optimized. He's also guest written for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, a geeky webcomic. However, these are mostly frequented by people who are already familiar with computer science. If you really want to protect the interests of consumers, I think we need to expand our right to privacy and freedom of speech to include technological privacy, security, and access to information.
In the United States, we have a well established right to privacy. This protects against violation of solitude and private affairs, as well as public exposure to embarrassing private facts (Prosser). This should include a right to privacy of information and data. I believe we have a right to private data storage on our computers, phones, and on the internet. For computers and the internet, this exists already. Although Windows scrapes some info off your data, you are free to install an operating system that emphasizes privacy (like Linux or OpenBSD). Similarly, you can use Firefox, Firefox Focus, or even Epic over Chrome to protect your browsing privacy. If you want to ensure your data isn't read, you can also encrypt it. This is especially useful for cloud based storage services. If you want to have a private online server, you can do so. However, there is no well supported private alternative for your smartphone, and most operating systems have intrusive always-online features that make it difficult to have a tight grip on your data and your connections.
In order to have sufficient privacy, you also need to have technology that is secure, and free from backdoors and known holes. Most of the world acknowledges a right to shelter, and I think that having a right to secure data storage is no different. Your data is your property, and we have a right to securely encrypted channels for data storage and data transfer.
I believe we also have a right to uninhibited access of public information online. Part of freedom of speech is the right to seek and receive ideas. We have a right to be informed about the law, things we buy, and current events, among other things. To allow people to have their access to information explicitly limited, as in the case of the repeal of Net Neutrality, is blatantly unlawful.
To solidify our rights as technology consumers, I think we need a "Technological Bill of Rights". There's some precedence for this- JFK pushed a "Consumer Bill of Rights" to protect against misleading advertising. Recently, the EU has been expanding privacy online via the GDPR. As computer scientists, we can push for better legislation and support politicians with progressive policies. We can also support real news and blogs, but ultimately the most important thing is political involvement and staying informed as an individual.
In the United States, we have a well established right to privacy. This protects against violation of solitude and private affairs, as well as public exposure to embarrassing private facts (Prosser). This should include a right to privacy of information and data. I believe we have a right to private data storage on our computers, phones, and on the internet. For computers and the internet, this exists already. Although Windows scrapes some info off your data, you are free to install an operating system that emphasizes privacy (like Linux or OpenBSD). Similarly, you can use Firefox, Firefox Focus, or even Epic over Chrome to protect your browsing privacy. If you want to ensure your data isn't read, you can also encrypt it. This is especially useful for cloud based storage services. If you want to have a private online server, you can do so. However, there is no well supported private alternative for your smartphone, and most operating systems have intrusive always-online features that make it difficult to have a tight grip on your data and your connections.
In order to have sufficient privacy, you also need to have technology that is secure, and free from backdoors and known holes. Most of the world acknowledges a right to shelter, and I think that having a right to secure data storage is no different. Your data is your property, and we have a right to securely encrypted channels for data storage and data transfer.
I believe we also have a right to uninhibited access of public information online. Part of freedom of speech is the right to seek and receive ideas. We have a right to be informed about the law, things we buy, and current events, among other things. To allow people to have their access to information explicitly limited, as in the case of the repeal of Net Neutrality, is blatantly unlawful.
To solidify our rights as technology consumers, I think we need a "Technological Bill of Rights". There's some precedence for this- JFK pushed a "Consumer Bill of Rights" to protect against misleading advertising. Recently, the EU has been expanding privacy online via the GDPR. As computer scientists, we can push for better legislation and support politicians with progressive policies. We can also support real news and blogs, but ultimately the most important thing is political involvement and staying informed as an individual.
Prosser, William. “Privacy.” California Law Review, vol. 48, no. 3, Aug. 1960, p. 383.
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