Internet Privacy Developments - Essay Sample

Developments in internet and mobile technologies

Recent developments in internet and mobile technologies have enabled individuals to share information on a real-time basis regardless of their location in the world. These technologies have provided new tools and avenues for people to enjoy their rights and freedoms as enshrined in the constitution. However, recent revelations have demonstrated that the advancement of communication technologies continues to violate privacy rights due to the ease with unauthorized persons access information of users. For instance, state agencies have developed technologies that surreptitiously conduct surveillance on users. Currently, there are no adequate safeguards to prevent the mentioned practice. To solve this problem, online websites should be designed to request for a thumbprint signature from any individual seeking access to confidential information of on their websites.

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Thumbprint Signature is part of the biometric technology which captures unique characteristics of an individual that users need to provide for them to access information of a person of a given identity. The other biometric features include retinal, palm print iris and DNA. These body features cannot be replicated and are unique to every user(Chien 1-2). As such, they can be an effective way of tracing the individuals seeking to extract information from online platforms. Although thumbprint technology has been around for a while and is popular among banks, its reverse use has not been adopted anywhere in the world. In other words, only when people come to the banks do their thumbprint details reach secondary parties; a deliberate policy has not been adopted to capture the thumbprints of all citizens in the context of individual privacy and synchronize these details so that they can be obtained on real-time requests.

The US government

The US government has in the recent past tapped into a voluminous amount of information stored in private companies(Scassa 406).Such scenario necessitates that thumbprint access can be designed so as to ensure any individual reveal information which can be verified by private entities. The workability of the thumbprint strategy hinged on the idea that the persons who mine databases would be scanned for authorization using the thumbprint as the only identifier which would enable private companies to deny or allow access to private information. This way, the technology would require that those persons who seek information from websites will have to undergo a thumbprint verification procedure so that such websites can ascertain as to whether these individuals have the privileges to access such type of information. Additionally, an automatic notification can be activated in the databases which inform clients that a secondary person has made attempts to make access or accessed his or her personal data related. On receiving access notifications, customers may raise the issue with the relevant institutions that store their information. And since most of the secret interceptions and surveillance are committed by an isolated group of people (state agents), the technology can be utilized to repulse any attacks to online websites.

As a means of enhancing data security, quantum technologies can be deployed to ensure that the thumbprints of customers are not copied when they access organizational websites. Quantum computing allows the exchange of information in the form of photons, a form that prevents theft of information on online platforms. Although hackers may manage to eavesdrop on thumbprint data, it can be difficult to copy or steal the travelling information as it dissolves when it senses unauthorized access(Love BusinessInsider.com). As a result, safety and confidentiality would be guaranteed.

The process of producing a synchronized database

The process of producing a synchronized database of thumbprints and development of such technologies would require a substantial amount of resources. The business community can sensitize the customers on the need to contribute individual resources that can be used to conduct research so as to design the mode of implementation of the program as well as raise money required to make massive campaigns that seek to capture every citizen's thumbprint. These funds can also be provided in the form of corporate contributions of each of the profit-making institutions. However, the presence of the state in these programs (especially in the enlisting of thumbprints) may have a conflict of interest which could hamper the process.

Despite the potential benefits of implementing the thumbprint technology, the presence of data about citizens on government websites harbors a great challenge. The government needs to provide platforms on which citizens engage state actors in matters public service .This information exchange mechanism makes it difficult for a balance to be created between a genuine state access of individual information contained in state agencies and illegal surveillance (Scassa 405-07). For instance, some private entities can provide information to state agencies without authorization without the realization of the customer .Put simply, these information systems belong to organizations and can be accessed anytime anywhere by the insiders of such organizations. Besides, state agencies keep agencies statistical data bout deaths, births, epidemics, social welfare schemes, Medicare and Medicaid, among others which be easily accessed by government agents. As such, they may not need thumbprint verification for them to access the data they need for surveillance purposes.

Overall, a thumbprint signature has a unique characteristic that would make it difficult for online intruders to gain unauthorized access to confidential information. Unlike accessing individual data on a given website, this security approach requires a stranger to give his or her thumbprint to gain access to websites. However, conflicts of interest in private corporations and inadequate development of quantum data safety technologies may be pose a challenge to workability of this strategy.

Works Cited

Le, Chien. "A Survey of Biometrics Security Systems." Washington University,T 2011, pp.T 1-10, www.cse.wustl.edu/~jain/cse571-11/ftp/biomet.pdf.

Love, Dylan. "You've Never Heard Of Quantum Encryption, But It's The Technology That 'Keeps Our Digital World Running Smoothly'." Business Insider,T 2014.

Scassa, Teresa. "Privacy and Open Government." Future Internet, vol.T 6, no.T 2,T 2014, pp.T 397-413.