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• 1 media/copertina-the-circle-film.jpg media/copertina-the-circle-film.jpg 2022-02-12T12:43:55-08:00 The Circle and the Erosion of Privacy 44 image_header 2022-03-31T08:34:28-07:00

  The Circle by Dave Eggers is a dystopian novel centered around technology in society. Throughout the novel it is evident that privacy is not an option in this world. Every thought must be known to everyone in the Circle and eventually to the rest of the population. In today's age it is almost impossible to not interact with technology in some way. It surrounds people in their homes, on their way to work, and sometimes even in the middle of nowhere. As technology becomes more advanced society becomes one step closer to that of the Circle. The society in The Circle is a prime example of how technology erodes people's privacy and how it ultimately uses people's own data against them. This is already happening today with modern technology and the rise of social media. These circumstances parallel events in The Circle.
  
  Surveillance cameras are used to keep people safe, supposedly keeping the crime rate down. In the novel they have their own cameras called SeeChange cameras. These cameras are placed everywhere in the world giving anyone access to watch the feed anywhere anytime. Cameras were placed inside people’s houses without their knowledge, invading their intimate moments. As Eamon Bailey, one of the company founders, presents the SeeChange cameras to his employees, he even exposes his own mother, without her knowledge, in a state of undress: “A grid of images popped up, including his mom, padding down a bright hallway in a towel” (Eggers 69). This is a blatant invasion of privacy. In today’s society cameras, though not as abundant as in the novel, are everywhere. In 2021 in the United States alone surveillance cameras reached 85 million. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics “There has been an increase of 21 percent from 2018.” Cameras are everywhere in stores, on traffic lights, even in trees. They are constantly monitoring everyone. While cameras are not in people's homes the amount of surveillance is astounding. It has been proven that with the addition of all of these cameras do not prevent crime. With more and more cameras being added to everyday life, society becomes less and less private. There are benefits to having places monitored, but if it continues to grow like in The Circle problems will arise. 
  
  One issue in today’s world is how social media affects people. In the novel everyone is obsessed with keeping up with everyone else. If someone didn’t mention or post everything about themselves it was seen as keeping secrets from others. The main character, Mae, was summoned to her supervisor's office because she failed to mention that she liked kayaking. She also failed to post that she went kayaking the weekend before and her supervisors were confused as to why she didn't: “... I’m just fascinated why you wouldn’t mention anything about kayaking anywhere. I mean, it’s a part of you. An integral part” (Eggers 188). People think it is unbelievable that others would not share everything. This is seen today. So many people need social media to let everyone know what they are doing and to receive validation. There is nothing wrong with this but people are becoming increasingly dependent on social media. 
  
  People post their whole lives on social media which affects how others perceive them. This constant posting of what you’re doing and where you’re going does make people's private lives not private. Even if people post things that are just for their friends to see, it still is out on the internet forever. These companies that are in charge of the social media platforms are to see everything anyone posts and data breaches are becoming more and more common. According to Michelle Wilson of HP Tech, “Privacy agreements on many social media apps state that the content users upload including pictures, videos, and messages are owned by the platform, even if you decide to delete your account.” Social media companies are able to keep people's private information long after the posts have been deleted. This is similar to The Circle. In the novel any post can not be deleted no matter what it is. Mae was recorded without her knowledge performing intimate acts with Francis, one of her coworkers, and when he would not delete the video she felt violated. She consulted with her friend Annie and she stated, “‘You know I can’t. We don’t delete here, Mae. Bailey would freak. He’d weep. It hurts him personally when anyone even considers the deleting of any information. It’s like killing babies, he says. You know that’” (Eggers 206). These are examples of very serious privacy breaches. Even if you wanted to delete something in this world you can’t. There are parallels here as even though we can delete something it never truly goes away, like in The Circle. The director of The Circle talks about a world without privacy.
  
  Our society is evolving, constantly changing when new technology emerges. Over the years with more surveillance and the emergence of social media privacy is becoming less of an option in today's world. The Circle is an example of what could be and where society is going if we continue to monitor people the way we do now. 
  
  Works Cited
  
  Eggers, Dave. The Circle. Vintage Books, 2013.
  
  "'The Circle' director on a world without privacy." YouTube, 27 April 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke6wqDTTmTU
  
  Stanislava Ilic-Godfrey, “Artificial intelligence: taking on a bigger role in our future security,” Beyond the Numbers: Employment & Unemployment, vol. 10, no. 9 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2021), https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-10/investigation-and-security-services.htm
  
  Wilson, Michelle. “8 Reasons Why Social Media Is Bad for Your Data Security.” 8 Reasons Why Social Media Is Bad for Your Data Security, 2 July 2019, https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/tech-takes/8-reasons-why-social-media-is-bad.