OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — How much privacy do you have online? You might be surprised the government — even your employer — are increasingly trying to find ways to find out what you’re saying and doing online.
But, there are some companies and lawmakers who want to change that.
Monday is officially Data Privacy Day, and to mark the occasion, Google released data about how often the government is requesting information about what’s in their users emails.
Aaron Weber, with Overland Park-based Spiral16, thinks this dialogue about internet privacy is long overdue. Spiral16 is a social media monitoring service used by politicians and companies. All the data and analysis they do is based on social media accounts that are public, and sometimes Weber is surprised what he’s seeing.
“Oh man, I want to write these people and say ‘you need to set your privacy settings a little stricter,'” he said.
Monday, Google revealed government requests for information about its users has increased 70 percent over the last three years. That’s why companies like Bing, Yahoo and Google all want stronger laws.
“You have to have a warrant to see the content of a message. They will give up registration information without a warrant. But there’s no law that compels them to ask for a warrant that’s just their own corporate policy,” Weber said.
And some say it’s not just the government people need to be worried about.
Several states have passed laws preventing employers from demanding passwords and access to your social media sites. A Wichita, Kan., lawmaker has proposed a similar law here.
“You need to be allowed a private space,” said Weber, “if we allow corporations to speak privately behind closed doors, why can’t we allow employees to do the same?”
Congress is expected to take up the issue of internet privacy this year, looking at amendments needed to the Electronics Communications Privacy Act. That law was first passed in 1986, long before anyone had ever heard of Facebook or Twitter.
