We live in a world of ever growing technology. A world more connected than ever before in human history and no one saw it coming even a few decades ago. In that short time, we have seen a world more connected, one where everyone can know nearly anything about anyone and everything. It also means that there is more potential for someone to be watching us at almost all times without our knowing. This can be done through the internet or through what most usually think of when thinking of surveillance, cameras. Surveillance can be done by anyone who truly wants to do it. It is usually done by big internet corporations like Google, for example, who collects the data of their users all the time and by governments. In this essay, I’ll be focusing on the United States government’s use of surveillance through cameras, their collection of data of the very people they are meant to serve and how that poses a great threat to individual freedom and privacy. In 2013, Edward Snowden, who some view as a patriot and others a traitor, exposed the world exactly what was going on in the United States. The National Security Agency or NSA had been tapping phones, collecting data and watching the citizens of the United States as well as people around the world, including heads of states of US allies like Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel. The NSA, however, isn’t the first instance of US government surveillance, all it did was make the world aware of what was really going on in the United States
Edward Snowden exposed NSA’s illegal surveillance in June 2013, this brought about controversial discussions inside America and all around the world. However, we stay oblivious how this thirty-year-old school dropout advanced to become one of the world's most noticeable critics of the government. Snowden is considered a hero and a patriot of the country, human rights movements like ACLU and Amnesty International advocate that Edward Snowden did great deeds to champion for the privacy rights of the citizens. (Greenwald, 2014) On the contrary, some people and the US intelligence consider Snowden a traitor to the state, the way he exposed the NSA was dubious and brought great risk to the international relationship between the US and other countries. Moreover, the state government accused him of breaching of information of the state.
The United States is not surveillance society, but the government’s ability to collect data and “spy” on its people has reached an all time high in the digital age. Americans must continue to discuss and debate the government’s ability and limits in monitoring its citizens in the modern day. ()
Surveillance is not a new thing. In fact, espionage, tracking, and sleuthing were part of society ever since 5000 B.C. But in the rise of the modern era, the idea of surveillance in the public eye serves as a controversial topic of discussion. People everywhere complain about the existence of security cameras, government tracking, and the right to privacy. Such problems, however, are not due to the sudden discovery of surveillance, but the modern abuse of it. Seeing the disastrous effects of over surveillance from George Orwell’s 1984, the public rightfully fears societal deterioration through modern surveillance abuse portrayed in Matthew Hutson’s “Even Bugs Will Be Bugged” and the effects of such in Jennifer Golbeck’s “All Eyes On You”. The abuse of surveillance induces the fear of discovery through the invasion of privacy, and ensures the omnipresence of one’s past that haunt future endeavors, to ultimately obstruct human development and the progress of society overall.
The right to privacy means controlling your own personal information and the ability to allow or deny access to others. As Americans, we feel it's a right not a privilege to have privacy. IT technology and the events of September 11, 2001 are diminishing that right, whether its workplace privacy or personal privacy. From sending email, applying for a job, or even using the telephone, Americans right to privacy is in danger. Personal and professional information is being stored, link, transferred, shared, and even sold without your permission or knowledge. IT technology has benefited mankind tremendously in so many areas, but its also comes with a price. Advancements in technology make all individuals vulnerable to
Caroline Chastant Sherry Sharifian GOVT. 2305 71433 18 September 2017 Civil Liberties & Civil Rights: Fundamentals for US Government Our forefathers established the United States of America as a country where democracy reigns supreme and the ideals of freedom and equality lead society. Now more than ever, the beliefs of our young country are being called into question in the midst of controversial situations and changing times. Despite the struggles of sticking to age old beliefs, civil liberties and civil rights help stabilize our government.
Ever since the American public was made aware of the United States government’s surveillance policies, it has been a hotly debated issue across the nation. In 2013, it was revealed that the NSA had, for some time, been collecting data on American citizens, in terms of everything from their Internet history to their phone records. When the story broke, it was a huge talking point, not only across the country, but also throughout the world. The man who introduced Americans to this idea was Edward Snowden.
In George Orwell’s 1984, he warned the world about the corrupting influence of a government’s control of surveillance and spying on the lives of its citizens; tragically, this same danger exists today in modern day technology. Although many people are unaware, we are constantly being surveillanced through the use of smart phones, security cameras, and street cameras. Cameras have become so common that they can be found in schools, stores, and houses. Although most of the cameras are being used as a source of protection, they are constantly recording which can become an invasion of privacy.
Government surveillance in the past was not a big threat due to the limitations on technology; however, in the current day, it has become an immense power for the government. Taylor, author of a book on Electronic Surveillance supports, "A generation ago, when records were tucked away on paper in manila folders, there was some assurance that such information wouldn 't be spread everywhere. Now, however, our life stories are available at the push of a button" (Taylor 111). With more and more Americans logging into social media cites and using text-messaging devices, the more providers of metadata the government has. In her journal “The Virtuous Spy: Privacy as an Ethical Limit”, Anita L. Allen, an expert on privacy law, writes, “Contemporary technologies of data collection make secret, privacy invading surveillance easy and nearly irresistible. For every technology of confidential personal communication…there are one or more counter-technologies of eavesdropping” (Allen 1). Being in the middle of the Digital Age, we have to be much more careful of the kinds of information we put in our digital devices.
The primary goal of the government since its founding has been to ensure the safety of citizens. It has developed an array of methods, procedures, and systems to achieve that goal. Throughout the years there has been some form of criticism regarding its methods. The most recent cause for public disapproval and concern stems from government surveillance brought to the light by former contractor of the National Security Agency (NSA), Edward Snowden. Snowden has brought attention to the surveillance being performed by the government that involves the United States. Surveillance could significantly deteriorate relations with other countries and destroy the trust that is held between the citizens and government leading to the collapse in stability and possibly the country itself. The potential for surveillance being used as a tool for the protection of citizens can prove to be monumental, but is vastly outweighed by the negative repercussions it could inflict if misused.
For my project I will be focusing on internet privacy laws and as to why they should not be weakened, instead strengthened. This day and age basically everyone has internet and cellphones that are used to actively track you. Consequently, companies such as Google use various algorithms that can detect if an advertisement you looked at online swayed your decision in buying the object, in store! Moreover, the FCC is also currently trying to weaken internet privacy laws greatly, and the vast majority of the public doesn’t seem to truly care. One common saying that is often thrown around is, “If you’ve got nothing to hide, then why hide it?” It’s not that simple, if the people were more informed on that matter, they would most likely care; but I’m not here to convince the people, I’m here to convince the current FCC chairperson why internet privacy matters.
In 2013, it was revealed by Edward Snowden that the National Security Agency (NSA) was spying on the public through tapping phones and internet records. Snowden encountered an ethical dilemma when he had to choose between being loyal to his employer and informing the public about the mass surveillance. While the intentions of the NSA were to keep the American public safe, their method of mass surveillance is a violation of people’s privacy and ineffective at stopping crime. This can be explained by examining who Edward Snowden is, why he exposed the mass surveillance scandal, and what exactly the mass surveillance scandal was. Edward Snowden worked as a system administrator for the NSA, where he was exposed to a lot of the NSA’s secrets and documents (Greenwald 2015:
Imagine being under surveillance every day and every second of the day. A stranger always knowing where you are and what you are doing at all times. It is really terrifying to know someone is ALWAYS watching, yet many people brush off this fact. We live in America “the land of freedom” but are we really free? Today is the future, and we have advanced in technology, all the way from robots automatically mopping your floor to having a personal assistant that assists your every need or question you have right on your phone, but is that all they do? Or do they do more than we know? Technology today is marketed as if we need it, but in reality, they’re sold to us in order to violate our privacy and help the government spy on us.
In the text “A Surveillance Society,”, authors William E. Thompson and Joseph V. Hickey provided information about growing surveillance trends, new types of technology, and the impact of the surveillance. First, many surveillance trends are becoming more popular all throughout the world. Today, there are cameras everywhere you go, whether it is on the streets or in grocery stores, almost all of the time people are being watched. Since the technology of surveillance is more common, a lot of people are being photographed many times during the day. Even if it is not a photograph of your face, the cameras can photograph your license plate and link the car back to you. A main reason these surveillance trends are growing
How many apps have you used today, or how many websites have you visited? The answer is probably very many, some even without your knowledge. Behind the pixels of your phone or personal computer’s screen, thousands of bytes of data are being transmitted. Most of that data is what you’d expect: e-mail, texting, weather, games, and so on. Unfortunately there has been a growing problem over the last several years, and it’s not one that is obvious to the average internet user. Some of that sent data contains information which isn’t necessary, oftentimes it’s personal data. Your browsing habits, favorite games, most listened to music genres are being shared to advertising agencies for profit. Privacy is quickly vanishing from the internet and
In the years of government surveillance has improved in many ways such as the technology and advancing the fundamental ideals of individuals rights, they use the technology to avoid many terrorist attack. The government preferably and advancing the fundamental ideals of individual rights, they use technology to avoid a numerous of restrictions on surveillance on common civilians. Between the citizens of this country, there is a rising concern for the issue of privacy due to such a powerful creation, in this case the Utah Date Center, as they feel that they are feeling a severe violation on the rights that they had previously considered impenetrable. In order to stop these concerns, Congress should consider endorsing a law that seeks to join the government’s use of technology to our Constitutional values.