The Circle - A few thoughts on internet privacy

I pride myself on knowing how to properly protect myself online; stalkers and people that I do not invite into my life have a hard time finding me on social media unless I specifically tell them where too find me. So, when I sat down to watch an interesting movie with my mother my mind went reeling with all the ethical dilemmas presented in the movie itself.

The Circle is a Netflix original movie based on the 2013 book by Dave Eggers, starring Emma Watson (yes, Hermione Granger/Belle herself) which focuses on the impact social media can have on privacy, and is a cautionary tale about the dangers of oversharing online.

Watson portrays a young woman called Mae who gets a job working at the Circle throughout her time there she makes certain choices that lead her to choose to become "transparent" and show the world every second of her day. She straps a camera to herself and live streams every day which leads to a few complications in her personal life.

I do recommend watching this film as it really makes you think about what you post online and how ethics can be thrown out the window for the sake of the truth. Ultimately what people choose to share online is their business,  no one can force you to share something private, and in some cases certain facts aren't yours to share.

Now I will list a few problems I have with the movie and the ethics surrounding character choices, needless to say, spoilers ahead:

• Mae is asked to drink something in a doctors office, containing nano transmitters, and at no point was she informed that was happening or that these nano transmitters would be able to keep track of her every movement until after the fact.
• Mae steals a kayak and goes into the middle of the water at night, almost dies, and her bosses use that as an excuse to convince people they should be watched at all times to be held accountable for their actions, AND SHE AGREES.
• Mae attempts to promote her friends work by posting it on her social media which backfires as his work involves collecting deer antlers and making chandeliers out of them, considered a tad controversial as the internet then calls him a deer killer
• She films people without actually asking them, just because she goes transparent doesn't mean her parents have to and as such their relationship is strained.
• The company has little to no ethics when it comes to their workers privacy, including the fact that they encourage their workers to share their lives on their own version Facebook/twitter/YouTube all rolled into one, which they can then keep track of because it scans the internet for all their other social medias and uploads them for everyone connected to see...

And that's just a few of the things that make me a bit uneasy about the whole corporation in this film, which is the whole point. The Circle is meant to make you think about your online footprint and how much you share. Its meant to make you think about how much information the world has access to and it's terrifying. The thought that everyone who has seen your profile can find your families medical history for one is an insane breach of privacy which also happens in the Circle by a few of Mae's colleagues just out of the blue. I guess we are just a little closer to this version of a dystopian world than we actually thought...

Think on it, xox

Taz