Jenny Lopez

Probst
English 1101
November 28, 2015
A right or A privilege
When it comes to dealing with the internet one must be well aware of the benefits and
disadvantages of using such technology. In todays day and age the internet can be seen by some
as a wonderful tool but in more times than once it can also be perceived as a double edged
sword; that if not handled with precaution can damage us deeply. Not knowing how the internet
can be of a dangerous nature is what can really harm us and in actuality one must fear the
unknown. With this Farmers Unite Case there is many details that can either aid or damage Mr.
Joe Jeffereys in winning his lawsuit. There is a significance between having one's rights be
violated and also not knowing that the rights of one were violated due to failure of not knowing
what those rights were to begin with. When it comes to internet privacy and security one must
well informed of how to be protected, it is this reason why Mr. Joe Jerfferys will not be
successful in winning his court case against the Farmers Unite dating site.
Looking into a main reason that his case will not triumph is his failure to not fully read all
of the terms and conditions associated with the Farmers Unit site. With failing to do this the
client Joe Jeffreys does not know what he is at risk losing and damaging and in addition not
knowing to what full capacity he has his rights protected with. Like a domino effect one thing
leads to another in this scenario, one bad thing leads to another bad thing. Mr. Jeffreys did not
have knowledge that his information was being shared with a third party, nor the fact that who

was that third party involved. Agreeing to the terms and conditions gave the Farmers Unit site
permission to share any of the users personal information with anyone. This issue would have
not arrised if Joe would have taken his time to read the terms and conditions. Like Author
Nicholas Carr had stated in his article published by The Atlantic: Is Google Making Us
Stupid? , he discusses peoples dependence on the internet more specifically, Google. This
correlates to what Carr explains in the article of how with people depending so much on the
internet that they do not fully read anymore lengthy articles or long passages. this is evidently
seen through experiments published by scholars from University College London sharing their
findings that when documenting users activities online they discovered a form of skimming;
thus backing up Carrs notion of how the internet affects our cognition and reading skills is the
example of mr. Jeffereys. Carr. Nicholas Is Google Making Us stupid? The Atlantic Jul/Aug
2008 7 print. Mr. Jeffereys did not read the terms and conditions and simply agreed not
knowing what he had exactly agreed to, now consequently is costing him. This is where there is
a fine line when it comes to internet privacy and protection. the question is how can we complain
about having our privacy rights violated if we are unaware of what those rights exactly are?
In addition a very important portion of the reason why the plaintiff might not win his
court case is the mere reason of having dishonesty when it came to the internet and his usage on
Farmers Unit site. Although it was a simple dating site his dishonesty with his height was not an
issue although his dishonesty with his income was. This leads back to the first main point of his
failure to not read the terms and conditions thoroughly or not at all. Mr. Jeffreys defence might
be it was just a dating site and harm could be seen there if lying about his height and income, in
hopes of getting more searches of potential ladies he could match up with. Dishonesty on the

internet can be easily done, since he is not face to face with someone, just behind a computer
monitor able to do anything he wishes.
A subtle but very important detail that cannot go unaccounted for is the fact that Joe
Jefferys assumed he had his privacy rights protected. In actuality he had no idea whether he was
protected or not because he did not even know what his own privacy rights on the internet were.
Like stated by author Sherry Turkle, in her article that with today's day and age technology is
very different compared to past generations especially with college students; they have had
little experience with the right to privacy. Turkle, Sherry. How Computers Change the Way We
Think The Chronicle of Higher Education 30 Jan 2004 10 print.
With all the small details and the fine print that must be read but is not read when
associated with internet security and privacy that is evidently seen through the case of Mr. Joe
Jeffereys and why he is at a dead end with his situation. Roaming the internet unknowingly,
granting permission to sites that future give access to third parties, and deciding to stretch the
truth a little further is the big, yet simple mistake that mr. Jeffreys committed. Like Mr. Joe
Jeffereys we are all at risk of having this current situation happen to use and we must avoid the
dangers of such a great technology tool known as the internet.

Works cited
How Computers Change the Way We Think B26 50.21 (2004): 1-4.
Http://www.chronicle.com. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 30 Jan. 2004. Web. Nov.-Dec.
2015.
Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company,
01 July 2008. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.