One of the most intriguing and vexing elements of the Internet for many companies is its relative lawlessness. It is possible to create new types of systems through mobile apps that would never be possible offline, and it is easy for those running online stores to find themselves under attack. The relative lawlessness of the Internet has led to both good and bad results for businesses and organizations running online. In the month of May, a couple major changes took place that could redefine how people relate to the Internet for commerce and for data storage.
“There will always be angst about privacy online.”
USA FREEDOM Act’s passing
Major parts of the NSA’s wiretapping program were allowed to lapse at the end of May. What this means for data collection as a whole in the long run remains to be seen. There are many services that can still be used to collect information, and there are a lot of ways in which it is possible for people to still spy on each other online. The key difference now is that it seems that the U.S. government recognizes more the immense unpopularity of spying programs, and may be taking actions to remedy its poor reparation within that context. There are already a number of products and services dedicated to providing security and reprieve from the amount of spying that goes on online. The Torrent Chat client, for example, seeks to hide data sent. Similarly, the Scrambl3 program was recently released in the beginning of June on Android devices to provide executive-level security to consumers.
Ross Ulbricht sentenced
The sentencing of the head of Silk Road, Ross Ulbricht, to two consecutive life sentences shows that there is strong incentive within the U.S. to punish those who skirt Federal drug law online. What this means for consumers and organizations is that there may be a continued push to regulate and sanitize parts of the Internet, which may be in direct contrast to the push for greater anonymity many seek. The dual-focused nature of discourse online, both firmly focused toward staying private and safe, makes for a lot of interesting commercial opportunism. Of course, most would hope that those interested in pursuing these projects would also refuse to deal in illegal substances like Ulbricht did. The sentencing of Ulbricht sends a clear signal that those who attempt to flaunt the law through commercial enterprise online will be punished greatly, and in fact this justification was used in sentencing.
A harsh sentencing for Ulbricht.
“Your case is without precedent. You are first. For those considering stepping into your shoes, they need to understand, there will be very severe consequences. There must be no doubt that lawlessness will not be tolerated,” said Judge Katherine Forrest during Ulbricht’s sentencing.
There will always be angst about privacy online. The ability for anyone to do things anonymously is exactly what gives rise to the fear that someone out there is unmasking our own online use. When everyone has the ability to be unseen, we are constantly worried about the unseen around us. However, there are still a great many opportunities available for those who take the time.
