Privacy

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Ancient tales and modern digital realities are powerfully contrasted in the first TED Talk with tattoos, immortality, and Greek mythology. Greek mythology is frequently portrayed with immortality as both are a blessing and a curse. Our digital marks allow us to experience immortality in our own way. What I mean by that is each and every search or picture, or even social media post, adds a permanent imprint that can follow us forever. However, our privacy seems to be fading away with every technological update. People are exposed in ways that earlier generations could never have even imagined. 

The worry is strengthened by the current state of monitoring. The usage of technologies that were first created for military use is growing in the home environment. Massive amounts of data are being gathered and preserved by law enforcement organizations using devices like cell towers and license plate scanners. There have been multiple instances where civilian action has prompted the use of equipment intended for war. The boundary between public safety and surveillance state is blurred when police officers frequently scan license plates in neighborhoods, or when mobile phone signals are detected inside private properties. This raises serious concerns regarding consent. 

As the speaker pointed out during the TED Talk, monitoring features were frequently incorporated into the architecture of contemporary communication networks. This is made possible by the design of digital networks and telephone systems. Governments are only one aspect of this reality. An example of this would be how networks in nations like Greece have been infiltrated to eavesdrop on high-ranking politicians and foreign actors, who have gone after large internet corporations like Google in an attempt to get user data. These cases show that these vulnerabilities are right in our everyday services, which can be used by the government or any individual who figures out how to use them. All of this can encourage exploitation, but broad privacy safeguards benefit society as a whole. 

Recent laws make the importance of digital privacy even more evident. The TAKE IT DOWN Act, which was recently approved by Congress in 2025, made it illegal to publish intimate photos without proper consent. This includes "forgeries" created by artificial intelligence or digital alteration. Although this rule is a step forward, the fact that it is required in the first place shows not only how flawed privacy and security are, but also how slowly legal systems respond to harm caused by technology. The destructive nature of current tools is demonstrated by students. Specifically, young women whose faces are pasted on other people's faces without their consent.