Online Class: Privacy Online and Off

 I watched a series of TED Talk videos that all discussed privacy online. There were three talks in particular that stood out to me and presented valuable information that every online user should know about privacy online.

    In one video, Juan Enriquez compared your digital footprint to a tattoo. (When I say digital footprint I mean all of the information that is collected from your social media, credit card, cell phone, and GPS usage, amongst many other things that are digital) Just as a tattoo says something about you, so does your digital footprint. Enriquez says it is becoming increasingly easier for people to access information about you on the internet because of things like facial recognition and trackers.

    In another video, Andy Yen discussed how he helped create something called ProtonMail, which allows people to email privately. ProtonMail uses encryption to keep servers from viewing the information people send in an email. Although the system uses coding and encryption, the system is very user friendly.

    The last video that stood out to me was the one where Finn Myrstad discusses how many people click that they agree to certain terms and conditions an online site has without reading them first. He says that this usually leads to people unknowingly giving the site permission to gather information about them. Finn Myrstad and his team decided to print out the terms of the apps on an average phone in order to read them aloud and see how long it would take. It took his team over thirty-one hours to read them all, which he says proves that it is unrealistic for consumers to read their apps’ terms and conditions in order to know what they are agreeing to.

    I thought that it was very interesting and eye-opening to learn how our information is so easily viewed on the internet, whether we like it or not. So many people do not realize just how much the internet lacks privacy, and I think the lessons I learned through these videos are lessons every person should know.

Key Post: The Eight Values of Free Expression

The Eight Values of Free Expression are as follows:

1. Marketplace of Ideas

2. Participation in Self-Government

3. Stable Change

4.  Individual Self-Fulfillment

5. Check on Government Powers

6. Promote Tolerance

7. Promote Innovation

8. Protect Dissent

    The value of free expression that resonates with me the most is promote tolerance. I think today we live in a country that is founded on being tolerant of others, yet many people are still intolerant of people who have different beliefs, ideas, or ways of life than them. There are many people who discriminate against others based on their religion, sexuality, political beliefs, etc. Our Declaration of Independence states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," yet many people treat others as though they are less then because of their beliefs. It saddens me that people have grown away from tolerance and towards criticism. 

    Another value of free expression that stood out to me was protect dissent, or protecting minority/unpopular beliefs. Our nation was founded on freedom of speech, which also means that we are free to have our own opinions and to express those opinions. I think that this value goes hand in hand with promote tolerance. Many people in our nation today are intolerant of unpopular opinions. These people feel the need to try and silence the holders of unpopular opinions and to argue against them. However, I believe that by practicing tolerance we can grow towards a more peaceful society where people do not feel judged for their beliefs, even if they are not popular.

    I think promote tolerance and protect dissent are relevant in politics today. There is currently a great divide in our nation between political parties. This divide causes some people to feel the need to attack the political party that opposes their own. An article entitled "America is exceptional in the nature of its political divide" by Pew Research Center, stated that, "....America’s relatively rigid, two-party electoral system stands apart by collapsing a wide range of legitimate social and political debates into a singular battle line that can make our differences appear even larger than they may actually be" (Dimock). Instead of being tolerant of opposing political views, many people attack those whose ideas oppose their own. This only creates more of a divide between parties.

 These political differences I believe have been greatly affected by social media. Twitter specifically caused conflict with the Presidency of Donald Trump. Trump is currently on trial regarding the events that transpired on January 6th, 2021. He being accused of "inciting violence" and causing the riot that happened at the Capitol on January 6th. The following is a tweet that Trump sent about January 6th:

Some people believe that this tweet caused the violence that occurred on January 6th, and the tweet is being used in the case against him. This trial is something that has caused a great divide amongst Trump supporters and those who oppose his views. Many have taken to social media to express their views on Trump, which has caused turmoil on many platforms. This is an example of how social media has affected intolerance of opposing views.

Promote tolerance and protect dissent are two values of free expression that our nation as a whole struggles with. By promoting these two values, we can work towards a better society where everyone feels free to express their beliefs and opinions without fear of criticism.

Dimock, Michael. “America Is Exceptional in the Nature of Its Political Divide.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 13 Nov. 2020, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/11/13/america-is-exceptional-in-the-nature-of-its-political-divide/. 

The Founding Era

    To be honest, I did not know much about the Supreme Court before reading History.com's SCOTUS History. The following are a couple of key points that I learned from reading the article:

• The Supreme Court was established in 1789 by Article Three of the Constitution.
• The Constitution states the Congress holds the power to decide how the Court is organized.
• Supreme Court justices are nominated by the President and confirmed or decided by the Senate.
• The first Supreme Court had six justices, but the number of justices has changed throughout the years based on decisions by Congress. The current number of Supreme Court Justice seats is nine.
• The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is the highest judicial position in the U.S. This justice is the head of the Supreme Court and creates the agenda each week for the court.
• Justices serve on the court until the end of their life or their decision to retire.

The Current Supreme Court Justices
In Order From Left to Right
Front Row: Associate Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Associate Justices Samuel A. Alito, Jr. and Elena Kagan
Back Row: Associate Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

    I think the most important take-away I learned about the Supreme Court is that both the Legislative and Executive Branches of government have a say in the Judicial Branch, which includes the Supreme Court. For the Legislative Branch, Congress is able to decide how the court is organized, and the Senate has the power to confirm or deny justice nominees. For the Executive Branch, the President is the one who nominates judges for the position of justice. I think that this is the most important piece of information I learned because it shows how the system of checks and balances plays an important role in our government.

    The most surprising thing I learned was that the Supreme Court first met at the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City. Since today Washington D.C. is known as the home of the Supreme Court, I guess I just assumed that the court had always met there. It really surprised me that they met in New York City and specifically in the Merchants Exchange Building. 

    The article changed the way I think about the Supreme Court because I now have a better understanding about how the Supreme Court was established and how it has changed since its early days. I now know that the Supreme Court is established by Article Three of the Constitution. I also know that the number of justice seats has changed over the years ranging from five to ten. I know that there is a Chief Justice who presides over the court. These are all pieces of information about the history of the court that I did not know previously. 

    Reading this article made me realize that I do not have as great a knowledge as I would like to about the history of of government and how it operated today. It has really inspired me to educate myself further on the three branches of government, and I am glad that I have already expanded my knowledge of the Supreme Court/the Judicial Branch.

Top Five News Sources

    My top source of information is Instagram. I scroll through Instagram multiple times a day, and on my feed, I see lots of posts about breaking news, current trends, and information that is of interest to me. I follow a lot of different news organizations on Instagram such as NBC's Today Show, ABC News, People Magazine, and E! News. I love how all of these organizations have a link in their bio that has more information on each story they post about. The posts are normally brief and give basic information, so I find the links helpful for when I want more information on a story. I also like how on Instagram I can very quickly scroll through posts and pass the ones I am not interested in but also find more information on the stories that do interest me. 

    My another one of my top sources of information is ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir. I tend to have more free time at night, and I really enjoy watching nighttime news broadcasts as a way to end my day. I have watched World News Tonight for years with my family. We play it almost every night around dinnertime when I am home. I specifically love watching this show when I am with my family because it gives us the opportunity to discuss current events and breaking news. 

    I also get a receive a lot of information and news from Today Show broadcasts. I have always been a huge fan of the Today Show because I love that they discuss both hard and light news. Although I do listen to the hard news stories, I the entertainment aspect of the Today Show is my favorite because I love learning about the latest trends, celebrity news, fashion advice, and all of the other topics that they cover. I love how the hosts of the show really engage their audience, no matter what topic they are discussing. I often find that I enjoy listening to segments on topics I normally would not be interested in simply because of how engaging the hosts are. I typically tend to watch recordings of the show instead of watching it live because, as I previously stated, I have more time and energy at night.

    Another source of information that I utilize often is Wikipedia. I like to use Wikipedia for looking up quick and basic information. I do not like to use it for important and specific information that I would reference in something like a research paper because I know there are more reliable sources out there. I love that Wikipedia has information on almost every topic that you can think of and that it is constantly being updated. I also like how in Wikipedia articles, information is normally divided into sections. This makes it easier to read and helps me search for the information I need.

    My last source that I use is The New York Times website. This is not a source that I view everyday, but I periodically visit the site to either look for information on a specific story I am interested in or to just browse current events. I like viewing this source because of how credible it is. The New York Times has an incredible reputation, and I know that the information they put out is accurate.