Friday, September 20, 2013

So long Facebook

Well, I have deleted my Facebook account for good. After recently watching the documentary film "Terms and Conditions May Apply" I decided this would be the best choice for me. I would get off blogger.com and electronic mail too if my life allowed it. One day this will be my reality but for now I will do what I need to do. So anyway, this film reveals what a person is agreeing to when they click the "I agree" box at the bottom of the fifty page legal contract that is required before you can enjoy the perks of whatever social media or electronic network you are attempting to join. All that legal jargon that no body ever reads actually has some eye worthy information. Anyone who clicks "I agree" on Facebook specifically is agreeing to allow Facebook to sell and or give away any information or images you post to third parties. Some people would say, "Who cares! I am not hiding anything." I get it. I said that for a long time too. But what I didn't realize is that the government is using this in part of the Homeland Security Act as a means to monitor regular folks like you and me to scan for "potential terrorist" within the nation. The  fourth amendment that is meant to protect us against unreasonable searches and seizures and give people the right “to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects” is now being lost to what is known as the third party doctrine, the legal principle that, in effect, you lose your Fourth Amendment rights when you relinquish information to a third party. What?!!! 
There were cases where innocent people were searched and questioned just based off written words that were being surveillance on their social media. The interviews of these folks made me nervous. One person was a 12 year old kid who made a comment something like "the Taliban are crazy and have lots of weapons, Obama should be careful."  The kid was questioned at school by the CIA before his mom even arrived. His comment was one of concern not a threat but the computer registered those certain words of the presidents name combined with weapons and Taliban... and then bam! The poor kid is crapping his pants while being interrogated without his parents consent. Another guy was a writer who was doing research for a film he was working on and searched on line for "how to murder your wife" and "How to kill someone and not get caught" etc. He too got a knock on his door. The film compared this invasion of privacy to the movie "Minority Report" with Tom Cruz. The movie which is set in the future where officers go back in time to arrest people for crimes they will commit in the future before the crimes happen. Well no need for a time machine folks, we can just search you and possibly arrest you for just writing something on the internet that even looks suspicious. 
Hello? Is this thing on? Is anyone getting what I am saying here? 
Deleting my Facebook account is not going to fix the problem but boy do we have a problem! I am going to at least delete my accounts that slip in wording that takes away my fourth amendment and I encourage anyone who gives a shit about their freedom to do the same. 

Thank you and good night!

2 comments:

  1. WOW, I didn't know any of that. Thank you for sharing!! I have a FB, but I stopped posting things months ago. I wanted to delete it all together, but I have friends who only use FB for communication, and they were angry with me for even suggesting it. My sister doesn't have FB. BUT my 82 year old uncle loves it. He lives in Ill.. so it is his way of keeping in touch... what happened to the PHONE?

    I am going to watch that film... thank you!!

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  2. It is true, FB has become the way most of us stay connected. I would be lying if I told you that I never wonder what I'm missing now that I am off FB or that I don't mind the loss of contacts that will not be crossing over to phone and email. However, when I weigh the alternative of losing my privacy, I think I will be fine investing in some stamps, start a few pen pal relationships and be happy with that. The phone works too as you mentioned. As long as AT&T is done tapping us all. That's in the film too.

    Enjoy the documentary!

    See you tomorrow :)

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