I'm one of those people who's an all-around do-gooder. For example, even though people say you shouldn't give money to panhandlers on the street, I'll try to give a little money if I have some handy, because you just never really know what their situation is. I volunteer for various causes, and am concerned about information security and the right to free expression on the internet.
People are always judged by others and judging me in real life. Women are particularly subjected to artificially manufactured standards of beauty, and often judge each other, too! Do we REALLY need to extend all of this judgment and cruelty to the internet? I don't think so!
I often miss the early days of the internet, when nobody used their real name, everything was based on what was in your mind and "no one knew you were a dog" – or a female, or a minority, or a member of any other underrepresented group. I feel like my dissenting voice gets lost in the debate, and I'm tired of people saying "well that's just how it is" or "there's no such thing as privacy anymore so you just have to get used to it" or "I have nothing to hide." I believe in privacy as the right to be left alone. If we all give in, of course there will be no choice.
I find it very invasive when people take my photograph, post it publicly on the internet, or tag it without permission. I'm happy to have photos with family and friends, but I want them to be the audience, not millions of people I don't know. I believe that healthy social boundaries, critical thinking and strong ethics don't have to be antithetical to making advances in technology. Unfortunately, we've lost that somewhere along the way, and it's gotten much worse since this set of photos was first taken. Cyerbullying, catfishing, and other abuses continue to escalate.
I do my best to educate my friends on how to protect themselves from identity theft and to be aware of what corporations and the media are really doing with information behind the scenes. I'm really happy that I found a way to participate in this project and make a point in a fun way.
