Surveillance technology is growing by leaps and bounds, but
technology to keep our privacy is growing with equal measure. Is there a
balance to be had?
Spy versus Privacy: As you already know, many private
companies collect data on people, but the government (including the United
States government) ignores their own rules with the hope to eavesdrop on
terrorists. As such, people are pushing back, with companies offering
encryption technology and other methods to hide your private conversations, and
moments. While it is great that we are regaining privacy, it makes it
exceptionally hard to listen in on terrorists as they will be using the same
technology. So what is there to do? Is there a method to balance
our privacy with the need for the government to protect us from harm?
Yup, but you will not like it: There is a way, but you will
dislike it I believe. Aside from the government fixing its own system to
follow the law and not collect our information, we would need the encryption
and software companies to spy on us for the government. In other words, Google
will have a team dedicated to looking for keywords that the government provides
them so as to look for terrorists, with the Google team deciding if each
conversation, picture, or other piece of information meets the criteria for
being passed along to government officials. In short, companies already collect
and sometimes sell our data, so it will not be hard for them to look at said
data to see if there is any red flags such as bomb making materials being
bought, coded messages being sent (this so long as the government is willing to
provide companies with information to find these), and other illegal
activities. Obviously, these special teams will need some sort of
training as they would have the final say on if a piece of information goes to
the government, save a court order saying they have to. It is very
reminiscent of the days when AT&T had a government office in their building
monitoring all communications, but this time the government is becoming the
equivalent of a tip line, with people spying on each other.
Conclusion: This is the only foreseeable method
I can see for this conflict to end between the government trying to protect us
by spying on us, and for us to maintain privacy. In short, we need watch
dogs in the form of Facebook, Google, and others to be the first line of
defense for now on. Yes it is very 1984ish, but if codes of conduct and
laws are followed, it should prevent it from becoming a corrupt deal for safety
and security.
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