Massimo Calabresi's 'The Phone Knows All'

888 Words2 Pages

In a world governed by technology, it is almost impossible to live without it. Every day, incessant ‘updates’ are configured on smart phones for key procedures. That includes personal banking apps and preferred selection of social networks. Our leisure time is spent ‘chilling’ on
Netflix, as opposed to enjoying the local theatre’s new production. As we encounter new technology, customary human ethics seem to be replaced, or at least is in constant decline.
Massimo Calabresi’s “The Phone Knows All” article expounds on the “global tracking system” exploited by companies and criminal investigators (Eschholz and Rosa, 579; ch. 12, par. 1). In concurrence, Joel Stein’s “Data Mining: How Companies Know Everything about You” presents a persuasive …show more content…

For example, the standard time it takes U.S. Marshals to find a fugitive has declined from forty-two days, to two (Calabresi, Eschholz and Rosa, 580; ch. 12, par. 4). On the contrary, it is evident that technology’s progression strengthens global economic greed. Joel
Stein writes, “Each of these pieces of information (and misinformation) about me is sold for about two-fifths of a cent to advertisers, which then deliver me an Internet ad, send me a catalogue, or email me a credit card offer” (Eschholz and Rosa, 569; ch. 12, par. 7). Stein’s findings also contain the methods by which our information is gathered – which includes but is not limited to; tracking devices (such as cookies), and apps you download on your cellphone
(that mine your contact list and note your location) (Eschholz and Rosa, 569; ch. 12, par.7).
According to Stein, prior to privacy contracts that we carelessly click ‘I agree’ to, “everything has seemed free”; only we’ve been paying with our information i.e. IP addresses, and personal information the whole time (Eschholz and Rosa, 569; ch. 12, par. 7).
The problem with our casual approach to technology is that its abilities develop more quickly than we are able to process its perils. Calabresi says while smartphones have …show more content…

12, par. 5). Alas, society has been consumed by technology’s expediency; falling into the trap of using social networks and cheap apps as ways of communication. “Reports showed
Arakelyan 3 that free and cheap apps were capable of everything from collecting location information to images a phone is seeing” (Calabresi, Eschholz and Rosa, 580; ch. 12, par. 6). Stein acknowledges our sacrifice of privacy in accordance with our instant access to information
(Eschholz and Rosa, 571; ch. 12, par. 10). Though the fact remains that some personal information was always public; namely, marriage records, criminal records, your home’s retail price, etc. – other information was not accessible prior to the Interweb era (Stein, Eschholz and
Rosa, 571; ch. 12, par. 10). With the introduction of the ‘click’, we can access conversations – regardless of where they took place; or follow people around (with devices that have internal
GPS programs) (Stein, Eschholz and Rosa, 571; ch. 12, par. 10).
Every kind of digital file carries invisible ‘tags’. By taking a picture you can detect the focal lengths, time and date it was taken, and camera settings. In the same way online networks like Twitter carry your home location, preferred language settings – anything that

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