A New Report by Pew Says That Internet Privacy is a Fantasy
The Pew Research group's report is based on a method called "canvassing", not a public opinion polling. Instead of using polling which is a representative, randomized survey of common individuals, the group reached out to "experts, many of whom play active roles in internet evolution as technology builders, researchers, managers, policymakers, marketers, and analysts, reported The New American.
According to the report released on Thursday, researchers collected responses from 2,500 experts in the field and found out that the future of internet privacy does not hold too much hope.
Fifty-five percent of those 2,500 experts reported that they do not believe that an infrastructure of privacy rights will be set by 2025. Only Forty-five percent of the participants said they believe the future for internet privacy will be brighter.
Experts might seem to have a big split of opinion about the future tense However, they seem to have an agreement about the present tense. They all believe that "online life is, by nature, quite public."
Everyday more and more of us go online and share private information about our lives; where we are at the time, who we are with and what we are doing. Some of us even post pictures of our meals before we start eating. But experts believe this is a dangerous trend for the future of internet privacy. One expert Pew reached out for the report, who wanted to remain anonymous, explained: "Privacy will be the new taboo and will not be appreciated or understood by upcoming generations."
Over the last decade, internet privacy and safety has been the subject of a heated debate. Freedom and privacy advocates have been trying to keep the debate going, which they consider as an essential human right and an inseparable element of freedom of expression.
In recent years, the public debate shifted to a whole different level when whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that the National Security Agency has been monitoring U.S. citizens and collecting data of their daily internet activities, even reading citizens' email. The leaked documents fueled the long-held discussion of privacy versus security.
