Technology Or Privacy Essay Research Paper George — страница 2

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– increases correspondingly. (Privacy International, http://www.privacyinternational.org/survey/Overview.html#Heading2) The Internet is accessible to anybody. Therefore, the people who use it are accessible to anybody. It is my firm belief, that the government has more technology than we could ever dream of that we do not know about. The Manhattan project, a well known example, in the 1940 s gave the United States the ability to destroy the world. This top secret project created nuclear weapons. Civilians and most military personnel had no idea this was even going on. This was developed to end World War II, little did they know that this technology could destroy the world. The Central Intelligence Agency s main function is espionage. The government grants them the right to spy

on other countries, so what is stopping them from spying on us? Nothing. Law enforcement has the ability to track people with cellular telephones. (EPIC, http://www.epic.org/privacy/#hot) Here is another thing to think about: As reported in Wired News, Image Data — a company ostensibly seeking to provide a new method of stopping credit card and check fraud — has been building a database of cross-referenced photographs and purchase histories. Documents obtained by EPIC through Freedom of Information Act requests show the role of the Secret Service in directing and funding Image Data’s pilot programs. In its project of establishing an unprecedented national identity database, Image Data purchases driver’s license photos without the permission or knowledge of citizens.

(EPIC, http://www.epic.org/privacy/#hot) The next time you pick up your telephone, how can you be sure that someone from the government (who s salary you help pay to protect you) is not listening in on your conversation? According to the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), the request for federal and state wiretaps and bugs increased 12%. (EPIC, http://www.epic.org/privacy/wiretap/) Should the government be trusted? Would you believe me if I told you that the government bribed phone companies to make wiretapping and bugging easy? Its true. EPIC reports: On the last night of the 1994 session, Congress enacted the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), sometimes called the “Digital Telephony” bill. CALEA requires telephone firms to make it easy to

wiretap the nation’s communication system. The bill faced strong opposition from industry and civil liberties organizations, but was adopted in the closing hours of Congress after the government offered to pay telephone companies $500,000,000 to make the proposed changes. EPIC opposed passage of the bill and believes that the government has failed to justify the $500,000,000 appropriation required. (EPIC, http://www.epic.org/privacy/wiretap/) If it makes it easier for law enforcement to tap, doesn t that make it easier for curious civilians to tap? I believe that the government should be using their power to protect our privacy instead of encroaching it. All in all, I believe our privacy is in jeopardy. The government is the catalyst for technology increasing. As long as it is

growing the greater loss of privacy we have. Its inevitable, this trend of technology forces privacy out the window. People just like us within the government are allowing this to happen; this is what scares me. I began this essay with a quote that has turned out to be true, and I will end with one that I hope doesn t come true. It seems as if we are well on the road to it becoming true. It s in your nature to destroy yourselves – The Terminator (speaking about humankind) References: Agre, P.; Belloti, V.; et al. (1997). Technology and Privacy: The New Landscape. Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press Wang, W. (1998) Steal This Computer Book San Francisco: No Starch Press Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, http://www.privacyrights.org/FS/fs11-pub.htm Internet Growth – Summary,

http://www.mit.edu/people/mkgray/net/internet-growth-summary.html Global Internet Statistics, http://www.euromktg.com/globstats/ Privacy International, http://www.privacyinternational.org/survey/Overview.html#Heading2 Electronic Privacy Information Center, http://www.epic.org/privacy/#hot http://www.epic.org/privacy/wiretap/