The Impact of Surveillance Technology on Privacy

1203 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How does technology threaten or influence privacy

The Impact of Surveillance Technology on Privacy

David Brin in The Transparent Society warns us of the future of privacy that is on the horizon. With millions of cameras recording our every public move, who should have control of the information: companies and governments or we the citizens? If we take a look at Brin's vision of our future, his solution to the problem, the role of ICTs and the Kelley Cam at IU, we can come to a conclusion that our privacy is on the line and we as citizens must act soon in order to keep our country's foundational liberties.

Brin's vision of our future included the choice between two lifestyles that were illustrated by two cities. Both of the cities were based on who had the control of the cameras. In the first city the cameras were controlled by the authorities. In this city, Brin argues, we will loose our privacy, independence and liberty which are all valued by Americans. Eventually, he says, it could eliminate all crime. The new technology could allow police to solve 100% of crimes, but on the opposite side it will turn the nation into a prison. In the second city, the cameras are controlled by anyone who wants to use them. Brin argues that by giving everyone control of the cameras there will be a 'reciprocal transparency' in society. Meaning that, the once powerless now have power and anyone who wants to collect information on the public must make the same information about their self publicly available. Those that have been watched by someone will now have the ability to watch back. Brin's vision of city life in the future may be an accurate presentation. Since our need for information is growing there is no doubt that privacy is eroding.

...

... middle of paper ...

...d out as silhouettes in the pictures. It was fun to operate and move the camera around, and it see each other walking way down on the ground. The camera can zoom pretty close in to see faces, and would really be the only strong ability it has to be a threat on our privacy.

The information age has arrived, and Brin has given us a direction to take in order to protect our privacy we have always cherished. By showing us the options between a government controlled, ?Big Brother? society to a reciprocal transparency society where everyone has access to the cameras, we can take specific actions to go in the direction that is most profitable for our privacy. The technology will always be there, but everyone must be allowed access to it. Clearly Brin wants to save our privacy, and the only way to fight back is to be users of the technology ourselves.

Show More
Related

  • Use of Symbolism in Joseph Heller's Catch-22

    1760 Words  | 4 Pages

    Catch-22 was written in 1961 as a first novel by Joseph Heller, a former army bombardier who got combat experience in World War II from his base on the island of Corsica. Catch-22 became a classic American novel. Heller went on to write several other novels deriding bureaucracy and the military-industrial complex.

    Read More

  • Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    “History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples’ environments, not because of biological differences among people themselves.”(Diamond 25) This statement is the thesis for Jared Diamond’s book Guns Germs and Steel the Fates of Human Societies.

    Read More

  • Narco-Terror: the United States, the Drug War, and the War on Terror

    4563 Words  | 10 Pages

    Narcoterrorism has a long past in the history of Colombia, focusing mainly on the market development of one drug: cocaine. Colombia, with its arid tropical climate and lush land, is an ideal place for the sowing and reaping of the coca plant whose extracts are synthesized into the powder cocaine drug. As Colombian cocaine production skyrocketed in the 1970’s and 1980’s thanks to booming demand for the product in Americas, drug kingpins in Colombia began to wield immense power in the country. ...

    Read More

  • The NSA, Privacy and the War or Terrorism

    1550 Words  | 4 Pages

    Edward Snowden is America’s most recent controversial figure. People can’t decide if he is their hero or traitor. Nevertheless, his leaks on the U.S. government surveillance program, PRISM, demand an explanation. Many American citizens have been enraged by the thought of the government tracing their telecommunication systems. According to factbrowser.com 54% of internet users would rather have more online privacy, even at the risk of security (Facts Tagged with Privacy). They say it is an infringement on their privacy rights of the constitution. However, some of them don’t mind; they believe it will help thwart the acts of terrorists. Both sides make a good point, but the inevitable future is one where the government is adapting as technology is changing. In order for us to continue living in the new digital decade, we must accept the government’s ability to surveil us.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Government Surveillance

    1761 Words  | 4 Pages

    Current advancements in technology has given the government more tools for surveillance and thus leads to growing concerns for privacy. The two main categories of surveillance technologies are the ones that allow the government to gather information where previously unavailable or harder to obtain, and the ones that allow the government to process public information more quickly and efficiently (Simmons, 2007). The first category includes technologies like eavesdropping devices and hidden cameras. These are clear offenders of privacy because they are capable of gathering information while being largely unnoticed. The second category would include technologies that are used in a public space, like cameras in a public park. While these devices

    Read More

  • Adam Penenberg The Surveillance Society Summary

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although they can be easily tracked, people overlook the invasion of privacy possibility because of the convenience they bring to every day life. Systems like OnStar installed in cars have made the tracking of stolen cars practically effortless. Similar tools are being used by law enforcement, Penenberg stated “cell phones have become the digital equivalent of Hansel and Gretel’s bread crumbs” (472). He then goes on to discuss how in Britain in 1996, authorities installed 300 cameras in East London. Although this didn’t affect the terrorism, it did affect the crime rate which fell 30 percent after the cameras were put into place. Penenberg closes his essay by mentioning that the surveillance is not only used to watch the citizens but also for citizens to keep an eye on the government. Through his organization, relevant information, and professional tone, Penenberg creates an effective

    Read More

  • The US War on Drugs in Latin America

    3419 Words  | 7 Pages

    McDermott, Jeremy. “US Targets Colombian Rebels as War against Terrorism Escalates.” Scottsman.com. February 10, 2002.

    Read More

  • Ambiguity in J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Sylvia Plath’s The Ball Jar, and Richard Heller’s Catch 22

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ambiguity in literature after World War II reflects and explores issues of self and society. These two ideas often work against each other instead of coexisting to form a struggle-free existence. J. D. Salinger, Sylvia Plath, and Richard Heller illustrate this struggle with their works. These authors explore ambiguity through different characters that experience the world in different ways. Identity, while it is an easy concept, can be difficult to attain. These authors seek out ambiguity with the human experience, coming to different conclusions. Ambiguity becomes a vehicle through which we can attempt to define humanity. J. D. Salinger’s novel, Catcher in the Rye, Sylvia Plath’s novel, The Ball Jar, and Richard Heller’s novel, Catch 22 explore ambiguity experienced through an attempt to find self. Each experience is unique, incapable of fitting a generic mold created by society.

    Read More

  • In Praise of Big Brother: Why We Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love Government Surveillance

    1896 Words  | 4 Pages

    Taylor, James Stacey. "In Praise of Big Brother: Why We Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love Government Surveillance." Public Affairs Quarterly July 2005: 227-246.

    Read More

  • Privacy vs. Security

    1260 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ever since day one, people have been developing and creating all sorts of new methods and machines to help better everyday life in one way or another. Who can forget the invention of the ever-wondrous telephone? And we can’t forget how innovative and life-changing computers have been. However, while all machines have their positive uses, there can also be many negatives depending on how one uses said machines, wiretapping in on phone conversations, using spyware to quietly survey every keystroke and click one makes, and many other methods of unwanted snooping have arisen. As a result, laws have been made to make sure these negative uses are not taken advantage of by anyone. But because of how often technology changes, how can it be known that the laws made so long ago can still uphold proper justice? With the laws that are in place now, it’s a constant struggle to balance security with privacy. Privacy laws should be revised completely in order to create a better happy medium between security and privacy. A common misconception of most is that a happy medium of privacy and security is impossible to achieve. However, as well-said by Daniel Solove, “Protecting privacy doesn’t need to mean scuttling a security measure. Most people concerned about the privacy implications of government surveillance aren’t arguing for no[sic] surveillance and absolute privacy. They’d be fine giving up some privacy as long as appropriate controls, limitations, oversight and accountability mechanisms were in place.”(“5 Myths about Privacy”)

    Read More

  • Ethics of Surveillance

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    The world erupted in outrage following revelations by Edward Snowden regarding the extent of surveillance perform by the National Security Agency. Privacy becomes one of the hottest topic of 2013 and was chosen by the world’s most popular online dictionary, Dictionary.com, as the Word of the Year. However, the government is not the only one that conduct data gathering and surveillance. Employers often monitor their employees, and businesses collect data on theirs customer. The morality of these practices is a topic that generates heated debate.

    Read More

  • Surveillance and Privacy Issues

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    2) It is getting ever easier to record anything, or everything, that you see. This opens fascinating possibilities-and alarming ones.”

    Read More

  • How Technology Impacts Our Privacy

    891 Words  | 2 Pages

    As technology penetrates society through Internet sites, smartphones, social networks, and other modes of technology, questions are raised as the whether lines are being crossed. People spend a vast majority of their time spreading information about themselves and others through these various types of technology. The problem with all these variations is that there is no effective way of knowing what information is being collected and how it is used. The users of this revolutionary technology cannot control the fate of this information, but can only control their choice of releasing information into the cyber world. There is no denying that as technology becomes more and more integrated into one’s life, so does the sacrificing of that person’s privacy into the cyber world. The question being raised is today’s technology depleting the level of privacy that each member of society have? In today’s society technology has reduced our privacy due to the amount of personal information released on social networks, smartphones, and street view mapping by Google. All three of these aspects include societies tendency to provide other technology users with information about daily occurrences. The information that will be provided in this paper deals with assessing how technology impacts our privacy.

    Read More

  • Law Enforcement Cameras an Invasion of Privacy

    1067 Words  | 3 Pages

    The past decade has seen a proliferation of law enforcement security cameras in public areas, with central London having more cameras than any other city. In cities like New York, Los Angeles, and central London, cameras can be found at almost every intersection. Terrorist attacks have been a major basis for this significant increase in law enforcement security cameras; however, privacy advocates, along with many of the public, feel that it’s an invasion of privacy. People are concerned that all this video surveillance, which is continuously expanding, has created a “Big Brother” society, where people are constantly watched. This creates paranoia and unease for people that just want to go about living there private lives, without feeling that their every move is being watched. The increased presence of surveillance cameras is almost compared to George Orwell’s novel from 1984, where he imagined a future in which people would be monitored and controlled by the government. One question that needs to be asked is: does the benefits of law enforcement security cameras outweigh the negative sides to it? Although the invasion of privacy is a serious argument against law enforcement cameras; nevertheless, it should be seen as a valuable tool to help fight crime. As long as surveillance cameras are in public places and not in people's homes, privacy advocates should not be concerned.

    Read More

  • Surveillance Cameras: Invasion of Privacy

    739 Words  | 2 Pages

    I mainly think that our privacy maybe invaded due to the cameras being placed in a mass of public areas privacy can easily be invaded I don’t like it because if your on the phone and the people that watch the tapes can read lips can see what you are saying/texting and with texting they can zoom in on the messages.

    Read More

More about The Impact of Surveillance Technology on Privacy

Open Document