The Supreme Court

 

Throughout reading the article, "Supreme Court", I learned a lot more about the Supreme Court that I did not know before. I had a good understanding of the Supreme Court and what it is but this article helped me to get an even better understanding of it and learn things I did not know before. 

The Supreme Court of the United States is the head of the Judicial branch in the U.S. government and is also known as SCOTUS. I also have already known that they have the responsibility of evaluating the laws in the U.S.. However, there was a lot I did not know. For example, I always thought it had to consist of nine justices, but that is not true. They have changed this number various times throughout history.

I think a very important take-away from the Supreme Court is the parties that make it up, especially if your party is not president. Wether you are a Republican or a Democrat it is very important what party makes up the Supreme Court. What surprised me was how they do not have to have a law degree. Most of them do, but it is not a requirement. I would have thought that this would definitely be required. 

After reading this article I learned a lot about what the Supreme Court is and got a better understanding of what they do. They are very powerful, especially due to the fact they have power over the Executive and Legislative branches. This helps to ensure that everything is running properly. 

Invasion of Privacy Ted Talks

It is currently a huge struggle to keep our online privacy through the internet and digital technology. It is very well known now how difficult it tends to be to maintain this privacy. These TED Talks highlight how difficult it is in today's world to maintain privacy within the digital world and the possible outcomes.

In the first Ted Talk, "Your Online Life Permanent as a Tattoo", researcher Juan Enriquez talked a lot about the permanence of our digital footprint and the potential consequences of this data. He expressed how all of this data that is taken is being used against us. Juan believes that governments and corporations should be held accountable for this. The next Ted Tok,  "The Small and Surprisingly Dangerous Detail the Police Track About You", Catherine Crump expresses how with even insignificant data, anything can be useful, especially for police. She talked about how dangerous this can be. This can be very dangerous and we need stronger privacy regulations. In the third Ted Talk, "How to Avoid Surveillance with the Phone in Your Pocket", Christopher Soghoian talked about our data being used by third parties. He gave solutions to this by explaining the importance of using privacy-enhancing tools. Lastly, in the Ted Talk,  "How Revenge Porn Turns Lives Upside Down", Darieth Chisolm talks about being a victim of revenge porn and how it impacted her life. She talks a lot about how she wants to help other victims and argues how our civil rights are at stake. 

The issues discussed in any of these Ted Talks could easily happen to anyone. It is very difficult to avoid some of these things. For example, my instagram has been hacked and my phone number has been sold causing me to get random calls and texts. It is very important to be cautious of what we post. I know two people that were refused jobs because of things they have posted on social media.  

I believe the government should be doing a lot more to help protect people from as much of this as possible. There should be more rules set in place to help avoid these situations. People need to be taken accountable and punished for doing this to people. The government can only do so much and it is also our job to be cautious with what we are doing. Making your accounts private and only posting things you know would not get you in trouble is also very important. Making sure you change your passwords frequently is also a smart idea. Informing people on what is going on and how to prevent this is also an important step to help resolve these issues. 

The Current Top Sources

In todays world, most people receive their information from their digital devices. Most people get their news off of various social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, and Instagram.  More than eight-in-ten Americans get news from digital devices.  People also use news outlets or from journalists to receive updates on breaking news in real time. There are great concerns about the accuracy and the bias of news shared throughout these platforms, as they may not be true. 

Although Social media platforms, such as TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, and Instagram, are not very reliable sources millions of people, including me, scroll through reading and listening to news every day. Especially with TikTok, the app allows people to scroll through their "For You Page" which shows random videos posted by people from all over the world. People love to share news and their opinions on all different types of things. This can range from opinions on a random product, drama going on with celebrities, things going on in the news, and politics. Videos only range from 3 seconds to 3 minutes causing people to get their opinion across to their audience very quickly making the viewers more likely to sit through and listen to what people have to say. When I get engaged in something I watch while scrolling through my For You Page I will normally tell my friends or family about it. 

In addition to social media, another way people get their information is by word of mouth. News can spread rapidly this way. Personally, when I hear news I normally go to my friends or family and ask if they have heard about it and what their opinion on the topic is. I think it is very important to hear other peoples opinions. In my family, we normally send a picture or link to news we read about. This normally does come from a more reliable source then Social Media platforms and we will talk about it.  

The news has been one of the biggest top sources for years. About half or more of adults 50 and older are still turning to TV for news often . I think the news is a great source to get information on. There are different news stations, therefore there's multiple options to pick from. I think this is a great because they are always updating on what is currently going on. The news is on 24/7 which makes it very convenient to listen to news as soon as possible.