Our Digital Trails & It's Impact

Our world in 2013 is one of almost constant surveillance between internet traffic monitoring, cell phone tracking, increased police presence and the omnipresent cameras that are both seen and unseen in commercial and residential buildings. All of these technologies that we use to protect ourselves can (and in some cases have) been used against us. The questions become:

• Who is collecting the information?
• How are they using it (if we know at all)?
• How is information being stored?

Each of us has made the tacit decision as we choose increasing number of conveniences such as using GPS on our phone (which knows where you are) or using facebook for entertainment (which knows what and who you view) and the list goes on and on.

For better or worse, we ask ourself the question ‘should I jump?’ while on the plane, in a jumpsuit, wind whipping through their hair and nerves jumping instead of while at home discussing the trip or driving to the airfield or any one of the large number of opportunities to say stop.

The most recent From Paula Dean using a racist term in 1987 but she joins a line of many people who regret what they say.

The Papa Johns founder recently regretted saying he would have to raise pizza prices to cover Obamacare. When a company or a person decides to be the face of a brand, there is an inherent responsibility to publicly be apolitical and less controversial. My pizza shouldn’t have political beliefs that I am aware of.

What do we as a society say about the person on facebook who utters something inappropriate with no malice but unknowingly? Everyone has made a mistake at one time in their lives and as people who grew up with more tracking and ubiquitous technology enter the public spotlight, there will only be increasing numbers of what some consider inappropriate images, remarks or actions.

• What actions do you take (if any) to protect privacy?
• Do you live your life totally open?
• If not, what do you keep private?