The internet is a global structure of interconnected networks that serves several billions of individuals simultaneously worldwide. It is a system of networks consisting of millions of public and private networks that range from a local to a global scale. These complexes are linked by a range of electronic and wireless technologies. The internet transports an extensive range of information resources and services including email systems and web pages.
Computer, network and internet surveillance is the observation of computer activity and data. It is often done secretly and furtively. This monitoring could be done by governments, corporations, criminal organisations or individual users. Computer, internet and networking surveillance programs are widespread today and nearly all internet traffic is monitored.
Surveillance ‘is understood as a systematic attention to personal details, with a view to managing or influencing the persons or groups concerned’ (Lyon, 2003: 16)
Internet surveillance is particularly useful to governments and law enforcement in order to maintain social control, recognise threats and to prevent and investigate criminal activity. With the arrival of programs like the Total Information Awareness program and laws such as the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, governments now possess unprecedented access to monitor the online activities of its citizens.
Whilst internet surveillance is a useful tool for governments and law enforcement organisations many civil rights and privacy activist groups, such as the Open Rights Group, Big Brother Watch and Privacy International, express concerns with an ever increasing amount of surveillance. They share anxieties about ending up in a mass hysteria of a su...
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...eadily assessed today. Storage is cheap enough to have data stored forever, and the models using which it will be analyzed in a decade from now cannot be reasonably foreseen.
Counter surveillance is the practice of avoiding surveillance or making surveillance difficult. Developments in the late twentieth century have caused counter surveillance to dramatically grow in both scope and complexity, such as the Internet, increasing prevalence of electronic security systems and large corporate and government computer databases. Counter surveillance tools such as encryption and scrambling help aid against surveillance, where data needs to be reconstructed using decryption methods in order for it to be useful.
Reitinger (in Thomas & Loader, 2000:132) refers to methods of encryption – defined as ‘the scrambling of information to prevent unauthorised persons from reading it’
The pros of electronic surveillance are extensive. The ability for agents of the United States Intelligence Community (IC) to intercept and process communications and information from foreign powers, agents of foreign powers, international terrorist organizations, and others who seek to engage in activities with such groups, provides the ...
What is the historic context of surveillance, whose current form is electronic? We now know that the N.S.A. has no fewer than 46 surveillance programs (three in conjunction with the UK’s GCHQ) as described by surveillance reporter Julia Angwin (2014). For example:
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.
With the introduction of the internet being a relatively new phenomenon, the act of cyber espionage is not something that has been properly acknowledged by society. The American Government has done a stand up job of keeping its methods in the shadows and away from the eyes of its people since its documented domestic surveillance began on October 4th, 2001; Twenty three days after the Twin Towers fell President George Bush signed an order to begin a secret domestic eavesdropping operation, an operation which was so sensitive that even many of the country's senior national security officials with the...
The government is always watching to ensure safety of their country, including everything and everyone in it. Camera surveillance has become an accepted and almost expected addition to modern safety and crime prevention (“Where” para 1). Many people willingly give authorization to companies like Google and Facebook to make billions selling their personal preferences, interests, and data. Canada participates with the United States and other countries in monitoring national and even global communications (“Where” para 2). Many question the usefulness of this kind of surveillance (Hier, Let, and Walby 1).However, surveillance, used non-discriminatorily, is, arguably, the key technology to preventing terrorist plots (Eijkman 1). Government surveillance is a rising global controversy; and, although minimal coverage could possibly result in safer communities, too much surveillance will result in the violation of citizen’s privacy.
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
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.
In the selection “A Surveillance Society” Thompson and Hickey used positive and negative approaches to deliver the information about the benefits and risks of high-tech surveillance. Surveillance is growing very rapidly in today’s technological world; and for once the US is not in first place in this category instead it is our mother country Great Britain. The government sees the benefits in this technology because it is a way to watch everyone for the citizens safety. For example, surveillance helps police to crack down on more traffic violations using cameras and computers to photograph a vehicles license’s plate. But even other wider government agencies use this surveillance; Total Information Awareness Program is used to prevent terrorism.
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”). The fight for privacy rights is by no means a recent conflict.
In a world where people have become dependent on technology, we can access any type of information as well as provide information to the Internet. This causes a great amount of knowledge for anyone to use to their content, whether it be for malicious or benign purposes. However, whether the reasons are behind this, there is always a trace of something left behind in an electronic devices history. By tapping into a person’s history, one can found out exactly what a person does when they are online. In Singer’s essay, he stated that it is possible to create a ‘Panopticon’ where the government has a visual observation on its citi...
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.
Privacy is not just a fundamental right, it is also important to maintain a truly democratic society where all citizens are able to exist with relative comfort. Therefore, “[Monitoring citizens without their knowledge] is a major threat to democracies all around the world.” (William Binney.) This is a logical opinion because without freedom of expression and privacy, every dictatorship in history has implemented some form of surveillance upon its citizens as a method of control.
However, government agencies, especially in America, continue to lobby for increased surveillance capabilities, particularly as technologies change and move in the direction of social media. Communications surveillance has extended to Internet and digital communications. law enforcement agencies, like the NSA, have required internet providers and telecommunications companies to monitor users’ traffic. Many of these activities are performed under ambiguous legal basis and remain unknown to the general public, although the media’s recent preoccupation with these surveillance and privacy issues is a setting a trending agenda.
Technological advances create the capability more and more to snoop or invade privacy without detection. Granted, letters have always been opened and conversations overheard, but with technology, the potential for privacy has diminished. When we are sitting in our living room, our cell phone can give away our location; video cameras can be recording our actions through the windows; and remote microphones can be recording our conversation. Before computers and the Internet, you could gather sensitive information on someone, but the ability to divulge massive amounts of information on a large number of people was beyond possible due to the massive manual labor involved. Computers change this limitation, as computers have the potential to process enormous volumes of information.
As can be seen, from the information presented, the need for laws and restrictions concerning internet data collection is greatly needed. Moreover, the government can search private citizens data without warrant or cause. Also, companies are not only collecting internet user data but also selling it. The companies and agencies who commit such crimes should be fined or either closed down. In closing, the privacy and security of individuals on the internet should be upheld by the United States government.