Short answer

What is an RFID tag and what does it do?

        RFID tags are devices that can be detected through radio waves. It can be used to track items, such as in a store, and collect data, such as how many items have been bought, etc.

What is an EDR and what does it do?

        EDRs are devices installed in cars that record all kinds of driving data. This includes speed, braking time, and whether seatbelts are fastened.

Is it possible to identify someone, perhaps a patient, knowing just his or her gender, birth date, and zip code? Explain.

        It is very likely to be able to identify someone with such data because there are only so many people that live in that particular zip code, perhaps around 10,000. Of these people, about half would be of their gender and only one or two with the same birth date.

What is the difference between "big brotherism" and "little brotherism"?

        Big brotherism is the idea that the government and other organizations use processes to monitor citizens or customers. Little brotherism is the idea that people can use similar devices and resources to find information on other people around them.

Free Response

How do you feel about “Big Brother” watching you? Do you think having security cameras everywhere is good or bad?

        I think it is mostly a good thing to have this “Big Brother” as it improves society by maintaining honesty and justice. Security cameras for example, allow users to resolve how crimes occurred or back up alibis, and they keep the general population safe. It is worth the privacy loss, because there shouldn’t be much to hide from the government, at least in terms of cameras.

Is the Privacy Act effective? Explain.

        The Privacy Act is effective because it gives citizens power in the form of accountability of their government. If it does something that is against their permission and inappropriate, the citizen can sue.

“The digital explosion has scattered the bits of our lives everywhere: records of the clothes we wear, the soaps we wash with, the streets we walk, and the cars we drive and where we drive them.” (pg 20) Marketing companies use these data to build models of our preferences and use these models to recommend products to us.. In 1 or 2 paragraphs, address the question 'Am I willing to trade some of my privacy for the convenience of having a computer or a company recommend products to me? Why or Why not?’

        I am willing to trade some of my privacy for convenience, because there is little that could currently harm me if it were publicly known and I would not release any such information if it existed. Thus there is minimal risk to the sacrifice of privacy. The benefits of convenience, such as having a company recommend products to me, outweighs the loss of privacy because I do not worry much about this privacy. The benefits allow me to accomplish more and achieve greater things than would otherwise be possible.

Bonus Questions (may require additional reading)

How do “we leave digital footprints and fingerprints?” Do you think this is important for everyone to know? Why or why not?

        We leave these footprints and fingerprints through every interaction with the internet. It is important for people to be aware of this so that they know what privacy they are sacrificing.

How has the social evolution affected privacy? Consider social networking.

        As technology has improved, society has grown more and more willing to sacrifice privacy, because they want to gain the convenience that comes with it. For example, as people want to communicate with others in more ways, they are willing to give their information publicly to share it.

What are our responsibilities as app developers with data that is gathered from the apps we create?

        App developers have the responsibility to not give out the data that is gathered from users, in order to respect their privacy.