Modern Technology and the Loss of Privacy

Growing up in Brooklyn, I was used to seeing security cameras outside stores, apartment buildings, and subway stations. They felt like a normal part of living in a city. I rarely thought about who could access the recordings or how they might be used. Learning more about digital privacy has made me think about what happens to information collected about us as we go through everyday life.

As a college student studying Sports Media, I depend on technology. I use cameras to photograph games, social media to share my work, and my phone to communicate with friends, family, and clients. These tools are important to my education and career. Still, using them should not require giving up control over my personal information.

Security cameras are a familiar part of city life, but the information they collect raises questions about privacy and access.

One concern is the use of automated license plate readers, including those sold by Flock Safety. The American Civil Liberties Union has criticized these systems and argued that the company’s announced changes do not address their privacy risks. This raises important questions about who can search the records, how the information is stored, and how misuse is prevented.

I understand the value of helping police investigate crimes and keep communities safe. However, collecting information about people’s movements requires clear limits. I would certainly feel uncomfortable knowing that someone could search records of my daily trips without a valid reason. My friends and family deserve to go to work, attend appointments, and visit other people without worrying about how those activities might be examined.

Phone surveillance raises similar concerns. Cell-site simulators are devices that can help law enforcement identify or locate phones. Under Department of Justice policy, its officers generally need a warrant supported by probable cause to use this technology, although limited exceptions exist. These requirements are important because access to information about someone’s phone should come with oversight.

Privacy concerns also involve the companies we use every day. In the Cambridge Analytica case, the Federal Trade Commission found that the company used deceptive practices to collect personal information from tens of millions of Facebook users for voter profiling and targeting. This case shows why people need clear information about who receives their data and what they plan to do with it.

Privacy settings give users some control, but companies also have a responsibility to protect personal information.

This issue connects directly to my work as a photographer. Sharing photographs online helps me reach athletes, connect with clients, and build a portfolio. I want people to see my work, but I also want control over what I share about myself. Posting a photograph should not be treated as permission to collect unrelated personal information.

Photography also gives me a responsibility to consider other people’s privacy. Before posting, I should think about who appears in an image, the setting in which it was taken, and whether sharing it could reveal something personal. Building a professional reputation includes being thoughtful about the people whose lives appear in my work.

I believe the government should require clear explanations of how personal information is collected, stored, and shared. There should be limits on keeping unnecessary data and consequences when organizations misuse it. People should not need legal training to understand what they are agreeing to when they use an app.

I can also take more care with my own habits. Reviewing app permissions, limiting location access, and thinking before posting are practical steps I can take. For my friends and family, these same choices can help make privacy part of our regular conversations about technology.

Technology will continue to be a major part of my life and career. I want to use it with a better understanding of where my information goes. The ability to communicate, create, and share should come with clear protections for the people using these tools.

AI Disclosure: AI was not used for this assignment.

The Invention of Video Recording and Sony’s Impact

 

The Invention of Video Recording: How Sony Brought It Closer to Home

When I record a baseball game, I expect to watch the footage right away. I can go back to a play, choose an angle, and put together a video for people who were not there. Researching video recording made me think about how much work went into making something I use so often possible.

The history of video recording involves several inventors and companies. Motion pictures and television already existed before practical videotape recording. The breakthrough I focused on came in 1956, when Ampex introduced the first practical videotape recorder. Charles Ginsburg led the team behind it, which included engineer Ray Dolby.

The Ampex team with an early videotape recorder, a breakthrough that changed how television broadcasts could be recorded and replayed.

At the time, television networks needed a better way to save broadcasts. One method, called kinescope recording, involved filming a television screen. The film then had to be developed before it could be shown again. This created extra work and made it difficult to deliver good picture quality to viewers in different time zones.

Ampex’s recorder stored television pictures and sound on magnetic tape. Its rapidly rotating recording heads helped capture the large amount of information in a video signal. Networks could replay recordings without developing film, and tapes could be reused. This made television production more flexible, although the equipment was still expensive and bulky.

Sony helped move video recording toward everyday use. According to Sony’s company history, cofounder Masaru Ibuka wanted recorders that were small and affordable enough for people to use at home. Engineer Nobutoshi Kihara and his team worked on reducing the equipment’s size and cost. Their challenge was making a complicated broadcast technology practical for a wider audience.

Sony released the CV-2000 in 1965 to bring video recording into homes. Its exposed tape reels show how different recording was from the digital cameras we use today. Image credit: Sony.

Sony released the CV-2000 in 1965. It recorded in black and white and used open reels, meaning users had to handle the tape themselves. Although Sony designed it for home use, it sold better in fields such as education and medicine. I found that interesting because an invention’s actual users do not always match its intended audience.

In 1975, Sony introduced Betamax. Its cassette format made loading recordings more convenient than handling open reels. People could record television programs and watch them later. This practice, called time shifting, gave viewers more control over their schedules. Missing a broadcast no longer had to mean missing the program entirely.

For me, the biggest impact is how recording lets a moment reach people beyond its original audience. A coach can review a player’s movement. A teacher can replay a demonstration. As equipment became more accessible, more people could share their own experiences through moving images and sound.

I see that connection in sports media. A highlight lets someone experience a play they missed, while a recorded interview lets fans hear directly from an athlete. Recording also gives me a chance to review my own work and notice what I could improve the next time I shoot.

There are negative effects too. Someone can record a private moment without permission, or edit footage so that an event appears different from what happened. Copying recordings also creates concerns about who controls the material. To me, these issues show why having a camera comes with responsibility. The technology makes saving and sharing moments easier, but the person recording still decides what the audience gets to see.

AI Disclosure: I used ChatGPT-6 Astra to help research this topic, organize the information, and, including wording that connects the topic to my experience in sports media. Links to the sources used are included throughout the post.

Why Are Antiwar Voices Harder to Find?

Antiwar protesters march with a banner reading, “We won’t fight another rich man’s war,” speaking out against military conflict.

After looking through Antiwar.com and The American Conservative, I thought about how much the news we follow affects what we hear. Both sites give space to writers who question American military involvement. It made me wonder how many opinions I miss when I only pay attention to familiar news sources.

I think one reason we have to seek out these voices is that they question the starting point of the conversation. Instead of debating how America should handle a war, they ask why America should be involved at all. If a news program mainly invites people who agree military action is needed, I might hear different plans without hearing an argument against the war itself.

I also think there is pressure to support government decisions during a war. People may worry that speaking against it will make them seem unpatriotic. I do not think that is fair. I can care about my country and still question whether its leaders are making the right choices.

I would want to know what a war could mean for the people fighting and the families living through it. Those are serious concerns, and I think people should feel comfortable raising them. I would have a hard time trusting a discussion that leaves those questions out.

This is why I connect antiwar speech to the First Amendment and the importance of discussion. I need to hear opposing arguments to decide what I believe. As a Sports Media student, I think journalists should make room for those disagreements.

I would not say mainstream news never includes antiwar views. I also would not trust a website just because it challenges the government. Still, I think having to search for these arguments shows why I need to look beyond familiar sources and pay attention to who is being left out.

Finding My Voice Through Sports Media

HPU BASEBALL PHOTOS

Caption: Covering HPU Baseball has helped me develop my own creative style while also telling the stories of the players and the program.

Out of the Eight Values of Free Expression, the one that connects with me most is Individual Self-Fulfillment, also called Self-Actualization. This value is based on the idea that free expression helps people form their identities and become who they want to be. C. Edwin Baker’s liberty model explains that expression should be protected because of its value to the individual, not only because it benefits society. The First Amendment Encyclopedia describes this as the importance of “self-fulfillment” and “self-realization.” I connect with this theory because photography and videography have helped me find my voice and decide what I want my future to look like.

I am a Sports Media and Communications student at High Point University, and most of my life currently revolves around creating sports content. I photograph games, record videos, edit content, and help tell stories through social media. I do it because I love sports, but I also love capturing moments that other people may not notice. A player celebrating with his teammates, sitting alone before a game, or showing his personality during practice can sometimes tell a better story than the biggest play of the night. Choosing those moments is one way I express myself.

My work with HPU Athletics has also shown me that expression can look different depending on whom I represent. When I create content for the university, I am representing a team and a larger organization. The department monitors what can be posted, and the content has to fit its strategy. I understand that responsibility because the account is not only about me or my personal style. However, on my own account, OmriCreative, I have much more freedom. I can experiment with color, editing, angles, and the moments I choose to share. That freedom has helped me become more confident and understand what makes my work feel like mine.

This idea also affects the HPU Baseball players I photograph. I do not want my content to present them as only a jersey number or a statistic. Photos, interviews, and behind-the-scenes videos can show their personalities and allow fans to connect with them as people. Social media has made that even more important during the NIL era. A TIME article about the Cavinder twins shows how college athletes used social media to build an audience and create opportunities beyond basketball. Their example proves that personal expression can influence how athletes are seen and what opportunities become available to them.

For me, free expression is not just a legal theory from class. It is part of how I am developing as a photographer, storyteller, and person. My creative work allows me to share how I see sports while helping athletes show who they are beyond the field. Every game I cover and every project I create brings me closer to the career I want. That is why Individual Self-Fulfillment matters most to me: expression gives people the freedom to discover their identity and the confidence to share it.

Supreme Court Video Reflection

The Supreme Court: Power and Public Trust

Before watching the two videos, I knew that the Supreme Court is the highest court in the country. However, I had not known how much the court's structure and powers changed throughout the history. The first fact that was notable to me was that the Constitution never set the number of nine justices.

The Congress had changed the Court's size many times until 1869 when nine justices were fixed. I had not known about the "rule of four" where four justices must agree to take a case, although usually five justices decide it.

Thousands of cases come to the court and only a few of them get accepted by the Supreme Court, which makes each case chosen very important.

The most important idea that I learned from the video was that the Supreme Court is not only resolving disputes, but its decisions interpret the Constitution and affect the lives of Americans for years. The case of Marbury v. Madison in 1803 introduced judicial review, which allows the Court to evaluate if the law and governmental actions comply with the Constitution.

The fact that such a tremendous power is not specified in the Constitution is astonishing. Even more astonishing is the limitation of the Court's power: it does not have any police or army and thus cannot force the laws into action. It can do so only because of the respect and trust of the citizens and government officials.

Thus, I considered the Supreme Court an almost omnipotent institution before watching the videos. Now, I understand that the Supreme Court depends much on trust, traditions and reputation.

In addition, the videos helped me understand how the Supreme Court's procedure works: the justices read briefs, discuss the cases orally, meet privately, vote and write their majority, concurring and dissenting opinions. While the procedure itself is silent, the consequences are not.

With one decision, the Supreme Court may change the rights, laws and government regulations of the whole country. Thus, the videos helped me see that the Supreme Court is a powerful and vulnerable institution at once.

AI Disclosure: I wrote this post with assistance from ChatGPT.

Works Cited

OpenAI. ChatGPT, 27 Aug. 2026, https://chatgpt.com/.

Top Five Sources Of News And Information

 

ESPN

ESPN is one of my main sources because sports are a major part of both my personal life and future career. I use it to follow scores, breaking news, player updates, trades, and stories from nearly every major sport. I also enjoy its interviews and analysis because they provide more information than a basic game recap. I would recommend ESPN to anyone who wants reliable sports coverage in one convenient place.

The Athletic

The Athletic is another source I use for sports news, especially when I want more detailed reporting. Its articles often explain what is happening behind the scenes with teams, players, and organizations. Since I am interested in working in sports media, I also pay attention to how its reporters tell stories and present information. I would recommend The Athletic to serious sports fans who want deeper coverage than short updates or social media posts.

Associated Press

The Associated Press is one of my preferred sources for national and international news because its reporting is usually clear, direct, and focused on verified facts. I use it when I want to understand an important event without reading an article filled with unnecessary opinions. It also covers a wide variety of subjects, including politics, business, sports, entertainment, and world events. I would recommend AP News to anyone looking for straightforward and dependable reporting.

CNN

CNN is a source I check when there is a major breaking story developing in the United States or another part of the world. Its website is updated frequently and includes written reports, photographs, videos, and live coverage. Having several types of media available makes complicated stories easier to follow. I would recommend CNN as a useful starting point for breaking news, although I believe important stories should always be compared with information from other sources.

The New York Times

The New York Times is a source I use when I want detailed reporting and a better understanding of why an event matters. It covers topics such as politics, culture, business, technology, sports, and international affairs. I especially appreciate its feature stories because they often include background information and perspectives that shorter articles may leave out. I would recommend The New York Times to readers who want to look beyond headlines and learn more about the larger meaning of a story.