Week 16: Kim Jong-Un Possibly Dead

Missing in Action: Kim Jong-Un

Amidst all the coverage surrounding Covid-19, this past week there has been lots of news coverage and reports regarding North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un.

North Korea's Communist dictator, Kim Jong-un (believed to be 36 years old) missed his famous Grandfather's, Kim II Sung 108th annual birthday commemoration on April 15th. His whereabouts remain unknown and he has not been seen in public or heard from since April 11th.

American President Donald Trump spotted with Kim Jong-Un in North Korea in June of 2019

Possible theories on his whereabouts

While nobody knows for sure where Kim Jong-Un is, or where his health status stands, below are some of the most talked-about theories from reporters all around the world:

• He was injured in a cruise missile test
• He had a botched heart surgery
• He is perfectly healthy and is just "laying low" to avoid catching Covid-19.

The effect Media has on this story

If it weren't for the media and reporters all around the world, this highly-covered news-story would not be a thing. North Korea has always been very private about everything, and different countries are now using satellites to "spy" and look for any sign of Kim Jong-Un's whereabouts. 

What happens if Kim Jong-un is unable to rule his country?

In the United States, if our president was unable to perform his duties as President, the Vice President would take over, and in the small chance that the Vice President was also unable then the next person in the line of succession takes over. This is where the black and white area for North Korea comes into play. If Kim Jong-un is unable to rule, North Korea has no "line of succession plan" in place. 

There has been some talk that either Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo Jong would take over, or his uncle, Kim Pyong II would take over. While each country has its own theory of Kim Jong-un's health status, none have been proven to be true and the truth is still unclear.

https://nypost.com/2020/04/28/kim-jong-uns-uncle-emerges-as-possible-successor-in-north-korea/

https://www.npr.org/2020/04/27/846514585/rumors-spread-after-kim-jong-un-misses-his-grandfathers-birthday-celebration

Week 15: Propaganda

Propaganda

• Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. 

Example of Propaganda back then

Propaganda was used by Adolf Hitler, Germany's president and chancellor from 1934 to 1945. Hitler used propaganda to convince his country of national socialism ideals. Ultimately, this resulted in Hitler being the leader of the genocide of the Jews, which is officially known as the Holocaust. 

This is one of the propaganda signs that was used during Hitler's reign, and it is now at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This is a poster of a stereotyped jew. The caption reads, "Behind the enemy powers: the jew".

Hitler wrote a book and in his own words, he said propaganda was: "The function of propaganda is, for example, not to weigh and ponder the rights of different people, but exclusively to emphasize the one right which it has set out to argue for. Its task is not to make an objective study of the truth, in so far as it favors the enemy, and then set it before the masses with academic fairness; its task is to serve our own right, always and unflinchingly"(Hitler, Ch V1).

Example of Propaganda now

Today, advertising is considered to be propaganda. 

• The activity or profession of producing advertisements for commercial products or services. 

Any brand that is promoting their product over another brand's product is considered to be propaganda. Whether it's in a newspaper, a magazine, on a poster, billboard, or even a tv commercial it is considered to be propaganda. 

This is a poster with Michelle Obama's face photoshopped into it. This poster is considered to be political propaganda, as she was the First Lady from the years of 2008-2016. 

View my Powerpoint on propaganda below

Outside Sources: 

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nazi-propaganda

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/arts/design/24muse.html

https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297a/War%20Reporting%20on%20the%20U.S.%20War%20in%20Iraq.htm

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/propaganda?s=t

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/advertising?s=t

Week 14- How Our Privacy Is Constantly Being Violated

Privacy Being Violated

When people think about privacy, now more than ever their thoughts go directly to the internet. 

Electronic devices all of which include smartwatches, smartphones, amazon's Alexa, connected cars, smart toys, and drones are using their sensors and software to gather information and data about people. 

Personally, one of my biggest fears is the violation of my privacy. This fear doesn't stem from me having things to hide, but it stems from the rights that I am given in the fourth amendment of the constitution. 

What I didn't realize for the longest time, is that even though the 4th amendment exists, privacy violations happen every day. Celebrities, in particular, are always getting their rights violated when it comes to privacy violations. 

"The Fappening" which occurred in 2014 is a prime example of how rights were violated, specifically the rights of celebrities. 

Ultimately, the Fappening "exposed how little security celebrities had on their personal online accounts and how easily hackers were able to gain access to them."

After watching these Ted Talks about privacy, I realized that I didn't understand the extent to which it could be violated. We are always being watched, our internet searches are always being monitored, it is even possible for someone to go as far as to listen in on the private conversations you have in your own home through a device known as the "ring". 

It frustrates me to see how often our privacy gets violated, it makes me understand the importance of being cautious when doing things that you would have never expected would be watched. It is possible for any electronic device to have glitches, and after watching these Ted talks, this is where my attention went to the most. 

https://www.dictionary.com/e/historical-current-events/the-fappening/

https://www.dictionary.com/

Week 13: Online Self Audit

Google Utilizing Data Tracking 

While it shouldn't come as a surprise, Google tracks what you are searching by browsing through your google history. 

So you find yourself asking, "What's the big deal". What many internet users don't know about Google's tracking activity is how in-depth and far they go. They tally up all of your purchasing transactions based on digital receipts that you choose to receive through your Gmail account.

Many people use Gmail for storage and organization, however, what these Gmail users are not aware of is when they are using Gmail, they are giving consent to Google to search through their inbox to assemble a folder of all of your past purchases. 

When Google was questioned about this by one of their Gmail users, Google responded to by stating that the reason they gather purchase data is: 

"To help you easily view and keep track of your purchases, bookings, and subscriptions in one place, we've created a private destination that can only be seen by you."

What does that mean? 

Essentially, the point of Google gathering this data is there to give you the ability to track packages, renew subscriptions, and even cancel reservations. 

All in all, it is important to ensure that you are aware of what you are signing up for when you make any sort of account, whether it be a Gmail account or a social media account. When we click "yes" that can also mean giving the owner of these accounts access to your credit card transactions.

My personal takeaway

There are so many different platforms that when I sign up for one I need to make sure that the terms and conditions that I am agreeing to are not only reasonable but that they are safe and protect my privacy. Snapchat is just a small example of a user not being aware of what they are giving up when they sign up. When you sign up for snapchat, you click "agree" to a license agreement that states that your snapchats may be purchased by a future employer. Ultimately, even when you think something is gone it will be out there forever and the platform in which you are using may have rights you aren't even aware of. 

https://www.fastcompany.com/90349518/google-keeps-an-eye-on-what-you-buy-and-its-not-alone