Monday, October 13, 2014

Secretly private

I saw a little article on the news about something called snapchat. I must be behind the curve on this one as I hadn't heard of it. Apparently users can send a photo to each other using this app. The big appeal is that it is supposed to disappear in six seconds. Now these pictures have been hacked and the threat of them being leaked is a problem. The reporter says the primary users are between the ages of 13 and 17 so these pictures may be criminal ! I just shake my head and wonder, why do these users believe these pictures will be secure ? Of all age groups I would think they would be the most tech savvy and recognize the danger. Well, I guess raging hormones win that race !
When I was young we took pictures and sent them in for developing. Urban legend had it that people were looking at those pictures after they were processed. Not only would they see the pictures but inappropriate shots could lead to prosecution ! They had your name and address. You weren't worried about the pictures getting into the wrong hands, you were worried about going to jail ! Then came the polaroid. That was a game changer. Pictures developed right before your eyes and no usable negative. One print and that was all. Fairly secure.
Digital photography has certainly changed all that. Print at home and you have the same concept as a polaroid. The big issue with this digital stuff is once shared electronically it is out there baby ! If you believe otherwise you are very foolish. It may not be easily accessible by the average user, but there are those out there fishing. You hear about it all the time.
I have written about this a few times. I am always amazed that people act surprised by this. In this case the reporter was concentrating more on the fact that the " snapchat " thing was hacked than the behavior. Perhaps it is just an old fashioned notion of mine, this idea that you should be responsible for your actions. The pictures that you are concerned about being leaked wouldn't be, if you didn't take them ! A simplistic view ? Snapchat says that those pictures only exist for six seconds and then are not recoverable. That is obviously not the case. Now, if you are doing something that you want hidden, hence the need for the six second rule, and that fails, who is responsible ? Is it the company, that was hacked illegally and against their will, or is it you for taking the picture in the first place ? In other words, is it only wrong if you get caught ? Can you blame a third party for your actions ?
We hear much talk about an " expectation of privacy " these days. Does not private mean it is not shared ? The dictionary says, it is for the use of one person or a group of people only. Posting it to a third party site used by hundreds of thousands of users every day is not my idea of private. I do not expect much privacy from that irregardless of any claims this third party may make. Kinda like playing post office when you were a kid isn't it ? The more people playing the more chance of, shall we say " exposure. " I would say anyone that thinks anything you put online or through a third party is 100% secure is living in a fantasy world. The thing is this, if you want to keep a secret, don't tell anyone ! Do not confuse privacy with secrets, they are two different things. 

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