Starting a blog

JASON'S BLOG, DATE: 17/10/2016

Today, at school, the entirety of Year 12 had an assembly to talk about internet safety and personal security. There was a man who stated that he works with BBC Panorama and wanted to talk to us about the possible problems with constantly uploading to the internet. He discussed the fact that on iOS 10, it may be harder to turn off GPS services and, unbeknownst to us, may lead to a member of the international public tracking our whereabouts. He then continued by asking "Who covers their webcam with a bit of paper or some tape?". Of course, I would never leave my webcam uncovered - ever since I learned of the concept of 'eavesdropping', I have been absolutely pedantic about taking measures to ensure that nobody is getting to know me over a computer system without the reverse taking place. My love for Computer Science and ICT is prevalent in all situations, but I still find myself disgusted by some prospects of it.

Towards the end, he started to talk about background searching. I then remembered the article I submitted for my IGCSE English coursework, shown below:

Why shall I be persecuted by acts of my undeveloped, childlike mind? If I want to put something about my personal life on the internet, I intend for it to stay personal. If I wish to remove information about my personal life completely, I must be able to.  These are the statements of people who have been unable to get a job due to the fact that their potential jobs are victims of what employers call ‘Background Searches’. All people should have the right to have their internet history forgotten. Over 68% of employers run the internet background search to check the ‘personality’ of an applicant.

Several people would disagree with me because they believe that the internet background search is a matter of security – if they were o.k. with posting job application hindering content on the internet, then they should expect their future to be ruined. They would then go on to say that then go on to say something like “all of our actions causes an effect on our future” and would talk about the fact that we should be careful about what we upload. Christian believers would quote a part of the Holy Bible: Deuteronomy 19:21 (GNT) “In such cases show no mercy…”- The quotation would signify the fact that if you have made a mistake, then you should pay the price for it. They would also disagree with me because they also use the background search to help reveal the plans of terrorists and criminals. Court cases quote these sources to help keep the public safe and give the reparation.

Some of these facts would be incorrect because it is not a matter of security – rather a taster of how a potential employee would comply / behave at the workplace. Also, what of the security of personal lives of people everywhere. This is taking negative advantage of the gift of the internet. Freedom is a human right – people should feel o.k. with posting whatever content on the internet they wish without expecting future issues with the basic life skill of seeking for a job or having it being explored by a personal intruder. An example of this would be: why would an engineering employer indulge their self in looking at a potential employee report of the quality of a hotel suite. This is an unnecessary detail and would hinder their performance in the selection process. The bible quote would be contradicted by another Bible quote: Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV) “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” – This quotation says that mistakes are made by people and they should all be forgiven.

I, personally, believe that everybody’s digital footprint should be easily removed. However, this would not apply to those with a criminal record. In a situation as a failure in getting a job, it would be good to remove your digital footprint. I also believe that it is none of the employer’s business what an employee is doing with their personal time outside of work hours. An employer must only see to it that a worker comes to work. The internet background search is also used by normal people who take it upon themselves to explore the lives of others. For instance, if somebody wants to surprise someone they ‘love’, they would use the internet background search to see what they like, but instead, they just find out horrible facts which are shared among their friends. This scenario is a very typical breach of security. If somebody wishes to share a glimpse of who they really are, they should feel free to do so. I remember, when I was 13 when my friend’s cousin wanted a job with a security firm called G4S. He uploaded a comment that said, “I’m really low on cash so I need a job, preferably one which involves handling pure money…” – unfortunately, he was unable to get the job and when he spoke to the employer, apparently it was because of that and other facts that he did not get his job. As you can see, internet background search has torn this man apart.

In conclusion, I believe that the internet background search should be banned or that people should be able to remove their digital footprint. This is because of the Bible quote: Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV) “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Which mean that our mistakes should be forgiven. However, people would disagree with me because the internet background search could be considered to be a matter of security.

From this, I think it is fair to say that I had some background in the topic he was due to bring up, but I still thought that I should hear what he had to say, as that is the wiser thing to do, In the end, he told us that we could use the background search to our advantage. Therefore, I decided to start blogging - just so that I can not only share my abilities but to also disclose who I am to the world.