Editorial: Risk of Online Privacy

Current Internet Privacy Laws are lax, to say the best. They are outdated and easily exploitable. There is little to no protection for those that use the Internet. And we are at the risk of having our online privacy invaded, or our information harvested and sold by companies to third parties. The government has not provided any solid privacy laws, possibly so they can continue to invade the people's personal privacy with little repercussion. We need a change in online privacy law, and we need it immediately.

We have not had an update in Internet Privacy laws in decades. The ECPA, or Electronic Communications Protection Act, was the last solid law passed, and this was in 1986, before the Internet became the dominating force it is today. Though there is also the more recent Patriot Act, this only gives the government more power to invade our privacy, instead of protecting our rights. There is the Fourth Amendment, however this is open to interpretation, and the constitution is only applicable to the government, not private organizations. With so little protection, it's very easy to access and exploit online information. All of this puts us at great risk. A lack of consequences allows organizations great leisure in accessing our online accounts. And there is little we can do to prevent it.

A loose legal net around Internet Privacy, allows many to slip past. The government for one, has few restrictions on their access of our digital information, take for example, the man who had his laptop confiscated and searched for eleven days by border control. Colleges and businesses can also use online information to decide whether or not to admit or hire applicants. In addition there are aforementioned companies, who will gather bits and pieces of information you web browsing reveals, then sell it to the highest bidder. In one case this lead to an old man being scammed out of a large sum of money, when a group of telemarketers purchased his online information. There are clearly many risks to having so little protection for our online privacy. When people are polite and ethical while using the Internet, there are few problems. However in the case of those who exploit the laws and sneak through gaps in Online Privacy, there is a true risk to all users of the Internet.

We need a change to our Internet Privacy. There are clear measures that must be taken. The first is restricting companies from selling our online information without our knowledge or consent. It is unjust for companies to make a profit off our online browsing, especially when it puts us at risk. In addition we must make it illegal for colleges and businesses to demand access to our online information, before they accept us. In addition the government shouldn't so easily be able to look at our online information, especially without warrant. With these corrections, we can have some protection against organization and government exploitation. It is impossible to be protected without proper laws, though there are some righteous enough to be ethical, there are always those that will take advantage. This is the reason we need laws, as demonstrated by all the methods that have been used to invade our online privacy.

There is no greater risk to Internet Privacy than those that wish to exploit the lack of solid laws. This is why there is a call and necessity for an increase in online privacy laws. As technology continues to evolve, there is more and more not covered under our current laws, and more and more risk to users of the Internet, especially those unaware of those risks. We should not have to live in fear, that our online accounts can be scrutinized or harvested for profit. It is within our right to demand a change in a law, a change that, once enacted, will prevent the exploitation of the new forms of technology. This is what is necessary for our online rights to be protected and safe. The Constitution is just, but our laws need to keep up with our technology.