Tim Barrus in the New York Times: Voyeurism
Voyeurism Does Not Mean Exhibitionism
My students have HIV. Being tracked to an HIV clinic – repeatedly – draws inferences that are damaging in terms of enormous stigma. People infected are easily tracked by a government eager to know everything. Including who their friends are and where those friends live.
This will probably get me kicked off comments – for mentioning the name – but every student I deal with has an Instagram account. Not only do those accounts have tracking data, but Instagram knows exactly where each and every photo was taken, when it was taken, how it was taken, and what kind of phone camera it was taken on. We would not associate Instagram with Big Brother. But we should.
In terms of who travels to an HIV clinic, we could count doctors, nurses, aides, clerical staff, social workers, pharmacy personnel, drug salesmen, law enforcement, and the janitor. That does not mean any of those people are infected. It simply implicates them.
It dawns on my students that there really is no such thing as running away from home, no safe foster home, group home, or safe house. Anyone looking at the data can figure it out. This puts abused kids in immediate danger. The culture rarely thinks about them. Nothing is secret. Not where your bank is. Not where your girlfriend lives. Not where your ex-husband lives. And not where stalking victims live.
Alexa’s voice can be seductive. Instagram can be seductive. Access to Google Search can be seductive. Apple Store is seductive. It’s all dangerous.