Dan Alexandrescu
Mr. Mlinarski
ENG4U
March 4, 2015
Privacy in the smartphone era There’s a convenience store near my school that is run by a humble Chinese couple. More often than not people will mistake the unassuming couple that owns it for easy targets, and unfortunately they’ve become the victims of numerous robberies, and thefts. The 70-something owner of the store is somewhat old fashioned, and is slow to accustom to new technologies. And as a result, no security cameras can be found in the store. It is because of this, that the small, otherwise unassuming minimart has been the continuous victim of petty thefts. One day last spring, I found myself craving a bounty bar, and I chose to stop by the minimart. Much to my surprise, the store’s owner was in a heated argument with a young man, who he had accused of stealing something. Normally in these situations I would keep to myself, and so I did. However, the store owner’s dispute with the alleged thief had roused my curiosity. It was at this moment that I realized there was yet another customer in the store who appeared to be videotaping the altercation with her iPhone. The young woman was hidden out of sight behind a shelf stocked with potato chips and various other products. Was she recording the video for police, should an investigation arise? Or was she planning to post it on YouTube, or another website? I realized that either way she was doing the store owner a service. Without the videotape the only evidence he had on the thief was his own words and how much weight would that truly carry? If it hadn’t been for that woman’s video, the old Chinese couple would have continued to be the victims of petty thieves. Thankfully, the store owner came to his senses shortly after the incident, and the last time I visited his store the first thing I noticed was the security camera staring straight at me as I walked into his store. In a study conducted by the Ontarian government, it was found that 92% of Ontarians feel more secure with a smart phone in pocket. This isn’t surprising, considering the usefulness of smartphones in emergencies. That small rectangle in your pocket allows you to pinpoint your exact location on earth to call for help when you’re facing danger, or to navigate home when you’re lost and hopeless. It’s true that smartphones give app developers access to your contacts, and other information found on your device, however it is up to you to decide