Are Our Lives Really Private?

It can be scary thinking about how public the world actually is. Watching these four TED talks made me think how it is affecting me, my family and, friends. The first two were the ones that stood out to me about how my life and others peoples' lives are not really that private. The first video by Juan Enriquez called Your Online Life, Permanent as a Tattoo talks about how everything you post is collected and permanent. He uses the express electronic tattoos. The reason is because everything people look up on Google or post on Facebook is going to stay with them forever. This goes along with the second video by Catherine Crump. In her video, she talks about how the police have data on every person. They can track where people go and even who they were with. To me, this is crazy. The police are taking pictures and collecting data every where I go even when I have not committed a crime. This issue makes me feel as if I am always being watched. 

The scariest one out of the three videos is Darieth Chisolm's video. In this video she told her story about how her ex boyfriend shared sensitive images of Darieth. This in the end hurt her reputation and harmed her mentally and physically. One of the sad parts in the video is that there is barely any laws in place for a situation like this. In the video, she also talks about how hard it is to get justice for being subjected to a crime like this. Our government should pass laws on these type of situations. The government could also have laws that hold the company accountable for what was posted on these various websites. People that have gone through something like this should not have to go through the same process she did. 

Then the final video from Christopher Soghoian talks about what we can do to help make our lives more private. In this video, he talks about what app we should use to make sure people can not hack our texts. Watching this video made me relieved after the other videos because it showed that some of the apps are still protecting us from people who see what I text to others. The thing that did bother me the most throughout the video was that he only had three examples. Out of all the ways I can communicate with my friends and family, only three made it on the list he talked about. 

After watching these videos, it makes me wonder how much of my life is collected and stored in data. It is crazy to me that the police has tracked me to every location and could tell me who I was with. Our government should look into this matter and see is this an invasion of privacy. Finally, as people who use the internet, we should make sure our apps are encrypted to make sure no on gets our information. Also, if you do decide to use an app without an encryption, then watch what you do on that app. 

Eight Values of Free Expression

When reading the “Eight Values of Free Expression” I thought all the values were important in their own way. The two that stood out the most to me were the fourth and eighth. The fourth value discussed is Individual Self-Fulfillment. This is about how people should be their own person. Each person has their own identity and should share their own opinions. The eighth value is similar to the fourth.  This value, Protect Dissent, is about how people should protect the views with different opinions in the minority. These two values of freedom are very important to me. They stand for how being different is important. It is also important for America as having different opinions is what makes us unlike some countries and these freedoms should be protected. 

These two values of expression feel most personal to me. I grew up in a small town where most people are Republicans and most everyone has the same viewpoint on matters. This is where the value of Protect Dissent is important because there were few people that had different viewpoints in my hometown and their views were important to be expressed. For those in the minority, this value works with the fourth value ensuring that people have the freedom to be their own person. There needs to be people who are the minority to say some things are wrong or to help balance the information. Their dissent needs to be protected and they need to feel the freedom as everyone in the majority to be their own person. If everyone agrees on things, then they may not see what is wrong with their opinion or may not see other points of view on the matter. These values of free expression can work hand in hand to make sure that everyone has freedom and make sure they feel free to express whatever they want. Protecting these values of free expression is better for both the individuals and the whole. In my hometown when the dissenting opinions were not protected people did not respect opposing views which was not good for anyone.

Another value that stood out to me is the second one, Participation in Self-Government. This one I do not have a personal connection like the fourth and eighth value. The value is important to America as a whole. An article from the The Policy Circle talks about how when people get involved in our government it helps strengthen our democracy and helps people feel the empowerment of making their voice heard. When people can do something as simple as vote they are making a difference in our government. They are making sure every opinion is heard. That is also allowing them to their voice is heard. 

The one I see most in action today is fifth one, Check on Governmental Power. This one is also very important to America as a whole. People need to make sure that those in power situations are not using that power wrongfully. We have the freedom to speak out in situations about what we feel is wrong and we should speak out about these issues. An example from the Committee on Oversight and Accountability talks about how President Biden uses his power to do corrupt international and domestic business schemes. This is where the fifth freedom value of expression allows Americans, we have the ability to make articles and blogs on this information and check the power of the government. As a President he should not use his power to make extra money. This is one of the checks and balances of the government to make sure the President does not get too powerful or use his power in ways that are not in the best interest of the United States. 

When thinking about the eight values of free expression it is important to think how they are involved to us personally, to our government, and today within our society. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution is very important to today’s society and how we function. We need to continue to think how we can use these values in our world today. Most people do not even think about these values or even know about them. But when making decisions about our government we should go back to these values and make sure we follow them to ensure all are protected. 

The United States Supreme Court

Before going into the video I did not know much about the Supreme Court of the United States. I only knew the basics about the Supreme Court. I knew that there are nine justices and how they take big court cases that have been appealed from the lower courts. The Supreme Court is an important part of our government. They read through around 7000 cases throughout the year and make important decisions that involve the United States Constitution. 

Being able to take the time to watch the video and read the article, I was able to learn many things. The first thing I learned from the Supreme Court video is that the justices are nominated by the President of the United States. I also did not know that the early Supreme Court was made up of only six justices rather than nine. The final thing I learned from the article of Supreme Court is that the first times the justices meet they did not go over cases. Rather, they worked on organizational procedures. 

While watching the video there were not many things that surprised me about the Supreme Court. However, reading the article showed me some interesting facts about the Supreme Court. For example in the article it talks about how John Marshall the fourth Chief Justice established the power of the Supreme Court to review and rule on the constitutionality of federal laws enacted by Congress. I knew that the Supreme Court had this power and is an important power because it gives our government more checks and balances. I was surprised that this power did not come in the beginning when it was established. Another fact that surprised me was that William Howard Taft, served as both President and Chief Justice. I never knew that someone served on the Supreme Court and as President. 

When reading the article and watching the video it is amazing to see how far the Supreme Court has come. Laws we have today would not have happened if the Supreme Court did not exist. For example in the article it talks about the case Mapp v. Ohio (1961), which held that evidence obtained illegally cannot be used in criminal cases. Cases like these are the reason Americans have the freedoms and protections they do. Being able to see that the court system in America has been helping people make sure they get their freedom is amazing to see. The court systems in America can get a lot of hate for the way rule on cases, especially the cases that are controversial. The Supreme Court is a major reason why our government has checks and balances and it is critical to understand it’s role in our government.  

My five sources of information

 In my daily life I get my information in many different ways, including from a social media app or a news stations. I get most of my information from social media apps. I never really watched the news growing up. I either heard it from word of mouth or found an article about it. My five sources that I get my information from are Instagram, podcasts, family and friends, ESPN, and Apple News.

 Instagram, a social media app, is not the best for getting the most reliable information consistently. However, Instagram does have the news and reliable people that do post on it. For example, all the big news companies, such as the Washington Post, all have an Instagram account, and I can see what big stories they post on their Instagram. I can also keep up to date with my family and friends. I have a big family that lives all over the world. Being able to see them when they post and see what they are doing allows me to stay up to date with their life. Instagram is a great source of information, but I have to make sure it is from a verified source. 

The next source of information I use is podcasts. I am starting to listen to podcasts more and more. The reason I like podcasts is because they are very easy to listen to. I can listen to it while basically doing anything from driving in the car to or just walking to class. It also has a lot of experts on certain topics that allow me to learn about. I can learn how to manage my finances better or just listen to an entertainment podcast. Even though the information I am learning from the podcasts that I listen to is not news it is still important information that I can use in everyday life. For podcasts I also am aware that the sources that I listen to must be verified as trustworthy.

My third source of information, getting information from family and friends, is the one that most people use. While at college, I get news about back home from my family and friends. Since I am an eight-hour drive from home I normally miss things that are happening in my hometown. Talking to my family I am updated on what is going on. This also allows me to get more local news. My parents always watch the local news so they tell me what is going on. I also like to get my information from my family and friends because it allows me to get their preceptive on situations too. I like to talk to different people about the same situation in the world to see how their preceptive changes how they view the information. 

My fourth source of information is ESPN. I use ESPN a lot to get information in the sports world. I have always loved sports and I do not have time to watch sports games so it keeps me up to date on the scores and my favorite teams. Also, ESPN has articles about certain athletes that allow people to learn more about the athletes that people love to watch. To me getting to learn about the people that I watch every Saturday is interesting. I can also be kept up to date on their injuries and when they will be able to return to games. 

My final source of information is Apple News. When I pick up my phone there always seems to be a new notification from Apple News. These notifications are important to me. They allow me to stay up to date and know what is happening in the world. I also like Apple News because it displays the top stories from various news sources. Every day I can go into the app and have a different new heading from all top sources. This is important to me because I like to get information from all over and not just one source. People that get all of their news from one news can be slightly biased in their information and I try to stay away from that.