When does technology become too much?

Google Maps Street View

Google Street View has cars that drive around neighborhoods and take photos, that are later compiled and translated into a 360 degree view of a specific street.  Above is a link to Google Street View, it's a really cool concept and interesting to play around with the site.  When it was first launched in 2007 it included a few major cities in the United States, but now you can use Google Street View to see and place in the world, you can even tour historic monuments like the Colosseum in Rome. Google Street View is so specific and intricate that it has many people worried that it is an invasion of privacy.  Some pictures that are taken have captured residents of a home in an unflattering way, some you can see right into people's houses and others show homeowners vehicles and license plate details.  Just as much as this Google feature can be helpful, it can also be very dangerous when it gets into the wrong hands (just like any feature of the Internet).  There was an article published by the Sunday Times (attached below), when Google first launched this feature and it expressed the concerns of many people at its start.  Now, Google Street View has only become more detailed, and potentially more harmful since it is spread throughout the world.  Go ahead, search your house it's very creepy!!!!!

Sunday Times Article

Phineas and Ferb PSA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4Qd1WVRctc

Going along with the same theme of privacy I came across a clip that airs on the Disney Channel (link above).  It uses characters from a popular cartoon to help illustrate the dangers of the Internet and important ways to help protect privacy.  I think this is a great way to appeal to a younger generation on this topic and I also think Disney channel is doing the right thing by taking the initiative to educate their viewers.  They get their point across in a very strategic and effective way, the is clip fun and light-hearted; yet, it conveys an important message.  By using characters viewers are familiar with and love it helps them relate to the topic and it is more likely that they will pay attention to the clip.  If people are aware of the risk they take with their privacy when it comes to the Internet from a younger age, then it is more likely that they will be able to monitor and keep their privacy throughout their lives.

Protecting Your Online Privacy

After much discussion in this class about privacy I thought it would be interesting to look up some ways to enhance one's opportunity to maintain their privacy.  After reading a bunch of articles I discovered that most are very pessimistic about privacy online still being an option.  Their claims are basically that technology is moving too fast and there is a rapid increase in privacy exploitation on the Internet.  Although, this may be true I believe that it is never too late to protect yourself.  The Electronic Frontier Foundation posted an article with 12 basic ways to help protect Internet users' privacy.
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/10/22/10-ways-to-protect-your-privacy-online.html
I think the most important is number 11 which says, "Remember that YOU decide what information about yourself to reveal, when, why, and to whom."  This step is the easiest of them all and gives online users all the power necessary to ensure their safety.  In the end it is all up to each individual online user if they would like to take the time to maintain their privacy and stay educated on the topic of online privacy.  It is also up to those with knowledge of online privacy to spread the word.

What does everyone else think about being able to preserve your privacy?  Is it too late?