In today’s online world, we aim to make things as quick, simple, and streamlined as possible. What the average consumer isn’t aware of, though, is that the click-through terms and conditions that almost every website require the users to waive many privacy rights that, a mere 15 years ago, would have been considered fundamental. The documentary Terms and Conditions May Apply goes into what the implications of these click-through agreements are, and outlines just how pervasive the fine print truly is.
Prior to the attacks on September 11, 2001, the world of online privacy was simpler and less aggressive about collecting your online information. Cookies were used to anonymously track user data, and companies voluntarily listed their privacy policies on their websites. However, after the attacks on 9/11, the world of online privacy turned on its head with the implementation of the PATRIOT Act. Language that said online entities were allowed to track and collect your information to “prevent or investigate criminal acts” became the norm, and with that came a new era of governmental influence on the way the internet works.
Companies quickly realized that anonymity of information isn’t a profitable business model. Once it became evident in the early 00s that user information is a lucrative endeavor for online companies, entire fields of business have been devoted to harvesting and using this information that users have waived the rights to. AT&T was one of the earliest corporations to engage in wiretapping to aid government agencies, and despite multiple promises by politicians, there’s nothing to prove that these procedures have ceased for any of the telecommunication companies.
What this documentary brought to light was the abundance of information that people voluntarily give about themselves on the internet. An Austrian teen proved how much information Facebook truly collects about its users when, after badgering the company’s Ireland office for the data from his profile, the company handed him a document with over 1000 pages. This document detailed everything he had ever done on the website, which he had only used sparingly for a three-year period. He found that every action he had ever done that involved Facebook was preserved in his data profile – even information that he believed had been deleted. Online companies have the right to retain this information and even information that has been wiped from a public profile is still able to be seen by governmental agencies that get ahold of your data files.
Even more pervasive than Facebook, however, is the online trail each of us leave without ever realizing it – and just how easy it is to track that data trail. Surveillance technology conventions occur with regular frequency and are attended by dozens of vendors, and each offers technology that allows the purchaser to track every move of an online target. One product, called Finfisher, targets individuals and tracks their every digital movement. It was even used during the riots in Egypt to trace the moves of the rebels and even predict their next motions. This is due in part to the fact that cell phones hold more information about our personal lives and actions than any other device, even our laptops. Technology is readily available to hack into your online profile and analyze your every move, as long as you’re able to accommodate the price tag.
Overall, this documentary opened my eyes to the depth of government involvement in our everyday lives online. The point of the film was to make the viewer think twice about posting on Facebook, and that goal is certainly