Issues of Privacy

 

    I believe privacy is something that is very hard to come across nowadays via online. Almost everything you do is monitored online. Your history for instance is constantly being tracked and monitored. Companies pay to see what you have looked at online, so they can target you for advertisements. It is scary to know that industries know exactly what type of things interest you and that they can constantly send out advertisements directed towards you, and specifically you. With the internet being such as heavy presence today, we all might as well be wearing a chip on our shoulders. It is crazy to think that we all are willing to have eyes on our backs 24/7. Every time you practically pick up your phone, someone is out there collecting some sort of data about you. It is not like we are not completely kept in the dark, however. We are told what to expect by agreeing to the terms and conditions of all these websites and organizations. People on the internet are private sectors, so as long as we enter the contract, which everyone does, we are agreeing to have them invade our privacy. To be realistic, almost every person is not going to sit there for hours reading pages upon pages of agreements for every little thing they want to do on the internet. We could simply protect ourselves from most of this privacy invasion by simply reading the terms and conditions, although this would mean we can not use the same online organizations as everyone else. To be protected from these things, in the long run, is to not use them. The government can not really do anything about this, we are willingly agreeing to these private contracts, and therefore none of our rights are violated legally. 

Top 5 News Sources

 

          I am not one who pays attention to the media due to the bias surrounding it, although I still like to keep up with current events that are happening. Here are my Top 5 news/informational sources I like to keep up with. 

1) Vice News - Vice news was created about 9 years ago and focuses on video essays and documentaries. They focus on underreported stories and are very unbiased in most of their content. They will report on things such as escaped cartel members, poachers, underground fashion industries and etc. They mainly focus on interviewing people and letting them tell their stories, as well as some coverage, is done by themselves. I particularly like Vice for doing what no one else really does, and their lack of influence on their content.

2)  ESPN- for all things sports I stick to ESPN. Although it is not important information and does not really tell you much about the real world. However, I do like to keep up with sports and ESPN is great for that. They track about every sport there is, offer live stats, report insights on particular players or games, and even cover multiple sporting events. I think they are great at what they do and offer a fair amount of information.

3) The Guardian - The Guardian is an extremely old and reliable news source that has been around since 1821. Originally known as a newspaper they have expanded into the web over time, and track news around the world, but mainly focus on both the United States and the United Kingdom. I believe they lack the bias other news publishers have due to being stationed overseas, as some of their employees don't really get too swept up in the politics of the United States. They cover both conservative and liberal-appointed news and are very good at putting out information. 

4) Associated Press - The Associated Press is another news source that has been around for a very long time. Founded in 1846, they cover global news and have 53 Pulitzer Prizes. They are very neutral in their media coverage. They tend to stick to facts, and do not try to paint a poor image on the material they are covering. I find it to be a great place to get information on global events, and find their stories to be very informational. 

5) Wall Street Journal - I solely look at the Wall Street Journal for all things business. As someone who is coming into adulthood, I find it important to follow up on major news stories involving the economy. I think the Wall Street Journal is about as clearview as it gets. I just started following them about a year ago, and only check it from time to time, but they are pretty straightforward and very informational and do their best not to stir you into their own opinions.