Mary Contini column: Privacy invaded on every level

These days I have all my images online: stunning views, sunsets and plenty of plates of food. Personal images are scarce. Of the younger generations, I have innumerable snapshots of hands in front of faces, heads turned hiding from the lens. What’s going on? Growing up in a society where privacy is invaded on every level, it’s easy to understand why they want to protect their anonymity whenever possible.

They understand their personal details are being recorded and stored without their knowledge. All our private information is used for research, even sold to data-hungry organisations. Our movements are constantly recorded on CCTV and online, in and outside the home. Our purchases, financial status, health, images, everything about us is logged.

Mary Contini

It is not surprising, then, that some young people feel unsafe. Those who are less cautious are at risk of having their images duplicated or stolen via AI. It’s not only famous and privileged people whose images are enhanced and manipulated. Every image can be used to disrupt reputation, target and threaten.

Scotland’s new hate crime law is in danger of becoming a curtain-twitching distraction. It is diverting attention from the greater threat we are all facing, the real loss of our privacy and independence.

We are constantly under the scrutiny of Government, NHS, financial institutions, local councils, tech companies, multi-nationals.

Foreign powers, threatening as this sounds, really do want to know what we are doing. It is not fake news that our electoral process and democracy has been interfered with.

Yes, we need protection from unscrupulous behaviours. But we also have the right to have strong, watertight protection from online identity theft, grooming and illegal targeting. Our personal footprint should not be stolen. We need a government that will focus on really protecting us in international law from high tech, global companies and foreign governments.