“HOW PRIVATE IS YOUR PRIVATE

LIFE?”Background Information to help

your reading comprehension

Key Idea: Your phone number appears in a hundred databases. Your favorite web site keeps track of your every click. Do these advances in technology pose a threat to your privacy?

Is your privacy at risk, or isn’t it? Be prepared to back up your opinions with examples and other evidence.

THINK/PAIR/SHARE:

• Many Americans are becoming increasingly concerned that the miracles of technology have come at a high cost- namely, the loss of personal privacy.

• Ex: Internet companies can monitor web sites to gather info about their visitors – info that can be sold to other companies for marketing purposes.

• Ex: In many large corporations, computer software can screen workers’ email messages

• Some Americans want Congress to pass stronger privacy laws like those that have been established in other countries. In the U.S., however, corporate opponents have lobbied successfully against such legislation.

• This info is found in the footnote! Use this text feature to help you with the laws discussed and language used within this text.

• Stands for Ladies’ Home Journal

• The author, Andrea Rock, was given this assignment by the editors of this popular ladies’ magazine.

LHJ = LADIES’ HOME JOURNAL

SUPERMARKET DISCOUNT CARD

• Entitles you to save instantly

• Money saving promotions

• Extra coupons• What else will Andrea

Rock discover about these cards?

VIDEO

E-Z PASS

An electronic toll collection program that offers customers the convenience of paying road tolls without using cash or tickets.

COOKIES• Are small, often encrypted text files,

located in browser directories. They are used by web developers to help users navigate their websites efficiently and perform certain functions.

• Cookies are created when a user's browser loads a particular website. The website sends information to the browser which then creates a text file. Every time the user goes back to the same website, the browser retrieves and sends this file to the website's server.

“YOUR HOME IS YOUR

CASTLE, AND YOU ARE

THE SUPREME RULER

WITHIN ITS WALLS.”

Agree or Disagree?