...In regards to Issue 16 Unit 5 in the textbook, I strongly agree that government Internet surveillance efforts threaten privacy and civil rights. It is a basic human right to allow someone to keep something secret to oneself. We owe no explanation or clarification to anyone for our private matters. With the governments increasing efforts in Internet surveillance this basic right is violated. It is as if we have become completely transparent to people we know nothing about ourselves. New technological tools are vulnerable to exploitation by governments aiming to crush dissent and deny human rights. All governments struggle to balance a need to deal with serious issues such as security, hate speech and child safety for their citizens but in repressive societies, these concerns often serve as convenient pretext to engage in censorship or surveillance of the internet that violates the rights and privacy of users and threatens the free flow of information. We all are aware that he internet and other communication technologies have created a vast amount of opportunities to share information, opening-up paths for pro democracy groups, activists, journalists and individuals around the world to share their opinion and judgment on various policies made by their respective government. I understand why monitoring people’s activity may seem as the right thing to do to ensure security but it is not of utmost importance; there are various other problems that need to be fixed at grass-root...
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...UNITED WORLD , SCHOOL OF LAW MAILING ADDRESS: 67, SWAGAT CITY , GANDHINAGAR – MEHSANA ROAD ADALAJ GANDHINAGAR PHONE NO: 9408968686 EMAIL-ID: nupurjoshi184@gmail.com TITLE OF THE PAPER: CYBER SPACE MASS SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMS,INFRINGEMENT OF PRIVACY OF INDIVIDUALS, BY STATE IN THE NAME OF NATIONAL SECURITY. ABSTRACT: In this present era of cyber revolution and globalization, citizens have turned into “Netizens”. The advancements in the field of technology is also accompanied with the development of various methods of surveillance and intervention by the State into individuals’ private information. Governments are keeping an eagle eye by monitoring individual's movements, businesses transactions and also the means of communication, which includes cyberspace. It is alleged that the United States of America’s National Security Agency runs a program known as PRISM, which enables the US government to gain access to e- mails , conversations, pictures, voice calls and even sign in details of people using websites and applications associated with 1|Page Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft, to name a few. Failure of cyber law mechanisms and national authorities to advance legislation and frameworks along with the technological developments and the increasing trends on States’ surveillance practices has created an environment in which citizen’s right to privacy is easily violated, leading to human rights violations also and lack of accountability, which raises questions on the legitimacy of...
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...more obvious aspects of this effort against violent extremism, which violate human and constitutional rights, such as drone strikes, waterboarding, and black prison sites, are specifically targeted toward a specific population, it is the subtler aspects of mass surveillance and corporate and governmental intrusion of privacy which present an overwhelming threat to human rights and quality of life. As has been made clear by recent revelations of the scope and depth of these intrusions, internet users specifically have many reasons to suspect that private information entered online is vulnerable to un-ethical intrusions by third parties. However, many groups and individuals have come together to bring resolution to the issue of personal privacy and national security. According to article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, no one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, or to attacks upon his honor and reputation (Lachmayer 749). However, the more subtle aspects of the new counter-terrorism age include a heightened amount of internet surveillance, video surveillance of public spaces, electronic eavesdropping, and data retention. Additionally governments have access to bank accounts, travel booking information, and data held in cloud storage (749). In other words, nearly every aspect of modern life can not only be monitored, but due to recent technological expanses, the captured information can also be stored...
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...An anonymous source once said “everybody starts caring when it’s too late”. Through the use of domestic surveillance, our government is able to prevent trouble before an actual threat arises. However, the issue of domestic surveillance is subject to much controversy, as it can ensure security, but only at the cost of our privacy. Domestic surveillance methods such as video surveillance, media surveillance, and drone surveillance are used by the U.S. government in an effort to protect its citizens before it is too late. To begin, video surveillance is a method used to keep citizens safe. A case in which surveillance cameras would have helped, found in a New York Times article by Nick Bilton, is “the case of Mr. Martin, an unarmed black teenager who was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, [where] the most crucial evidence about how the altercation between the two began- one that ultimately led to Mr. Martin’s death- came down to Mr. Zimmerman’s word”. As one can observe from this situation, if there had only been a surveillance camera in the neighborhood, the trial would not have come down to the convict’s and eyewitnesses’ words and would have had solid...
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...Learning Journal Week 4 Learning Summary- Social Media in Our Life Recently, the fact that social media affect people’s everyday life more deeply has been brought into our focus. With the booming of smart phone, more people delay on the social media to communication with friends, reading the news and even buying goods or foods. In everyday morning, the first thing for most of people is updating the news in social media. Caring about what happened last night, the fresh news in the morning and recording the feelings at this moment. Siapera given an umbrella term for social media that social media is an integrate technology, social interaction and user-generated content. And he also identify three main characteristics of social media which are allowing users to create, downloading and sharing content, to publish their profile and personal information, and to connect with others. (Siapera,2012). The rapidly development of social media have both advantages and shortcomings, there is no doubt that social media makes people communicate more convenient and can make more friends in this way and also keep a close connected with old friends. However, the weakness is the face-to-face communication will be reducing and excessive delay on the social media will influence the normal daily life. In this week, I recognized several overviews of the social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn… and understood how to use designated computer software and the basic principles of...
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...what the NSA is. The NSA better known as the National Security Agency is the main producer and manager of the signals intelligence for the United States. The NSA is responsible for the protection of U.S. government. The NSA is tasked with monitoring on targeted individuals in the U.S. But the NSA doesn’t just spy on targeted individuals; they spy on every U.S. citizen, they even spy on world leaders. They can spy on anyone around the world, and they can do this through social media, the internet and phones. I will explain this in more detail later. Ok so now that I’ve talked about what the NSA is, I will tell you guys how it is possible that the NSA is spying on us. Well to begin, the NSA spying program started back when George Bush was the president of the United States, the spying started right after nine eleven, this was in 2001 and that is 13 years ago so consider how long they have been spying. And it only got worse because technology developed, social media got bigger and smartphones were introduced. They wanted to keep the spying private but look how that turned out. The NSA monitored people whom the government thought were related to the Al Qaeda. Soon this led to spying on innocent and harmless civilians of the U.S. and all over the world. Sub Point 2: The Internet...
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...I. INTRODUCTION Controversy surrounding workplace monitoring and surveillance has intensified with the rapid digitization of the workplace. The ways in which we work, communicate and share information have forever changed. Employers are playing constant “catch up” with new technologies that are utilized on a broad scale long before policies are created to manage their impacts. Privacy issues often arise in connection with employer efforts to locate, hire and evaluate the most qualified and reliable employees. Improvements in technology, such as the rapid rise of the use of electronic mail and the increasing use of surveillance cameras, often force otherwise reluctant employers to readdress the balance between employees' privacy concerns and perceived business needs. In fact, nearly 67% of all companies currently use some type of surveillance in the workplace. According to a recent poll, “. . . over 66% percent of those surveyed had used the Internet from work in the past 24 hours.” (M.Lee Smith Publishers, Hospitality Workforce Trends, January 2000) In addition, when issues in his or her personal life impact an employee’s work, the employer must make judgments as to the appropriate level of involvement. Lastly, as traffic on the “information superhighway” continues to explode a number of substantive questions about the use and abuse of these information networks arises. What are the ramifications for employees’ right to privacy in the workplace? Does an employer...
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...meta-data is susceptible to snooping by not only government agencies and corporations, but also hackers willing to risk a prison sentence. In 2013, NSA whistle blower Edward Snowden revealed previously unknown details of global surveillance programs run by the United States' NSA in close cooperation with three partners: Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The documents leaked by Mr. Snowden revealed details about the NSA secretly tapping into Yahoo and Google data centers to collect information from millions of accounts worldwide. The shocking evidenced released by Mr. Snowden reveals that lawmakers and politicians should take greater control over how and why they are using their surveillance technologies, and question whether or not the fight against terrorism justifies the use of these surveillance programs on citizens as well. Furthermore, it is important to ensure that there be continued innovation in internet security in order to create services and products which can counter-act the use of these programs on ordinary citizens who don’t want their data accessible to anyone but themselves. Spying agencies are able to cripple the civil liberties and the right to privacy of citizens, therefore it is imperative that the government protect the rights of citizens through reforms on Surveillance Acts, but it is also equally pertinent for citizens take initiative and push for new reforms and innovation in online security. Surveillance is defined as the “monitoring of people and...
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...communicate via texting, emails, and calls, they expect this data to reach only the person they are communicating it to, without it being intercepted, and bulk stored for possible later review by a rather controversial surveillance organization - the NSA. The NSA stores information about everything an individual views that is connected to the Internet and can keep that information for decades for possible later review. “Americans place a high value on privacy. It is generally accepted that a certain core of one's individual and family affairs should be protected against interference, or even investigation, by outside forces—including...
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...all possible due to electronic Surveillance . Employees are becoming increasingly concerned about their privacy as their employers are monitoring them electronically more closely than ever before. Still employees expect to have privacy at the lunch area, bathrooms and lockers. Besides those places the employee has little or almost no privacy within the company. Electronic monitoring allows an employer to observe what employees do on the job and review employee communications, including e-mail and Internet activity, often capturing and reviewing communications that employees consider private. Video monitoring is common in many work environments to maintains security, by monitoring employees and to deter theft. There are laws set in place to also protect the privacy tof employee’s personnel records, including personal data, medical information and health status, social security numbers, background screenings information, financial and everything else that could invade a persons privacy. Is Herman's need to know whether his salespersons are honest a sufficient ground for utilizing electronic surveillance? The answer probably depends on whether there are alternative methods of ascertaining the honesty of salespersons that are less invasive of the employees' privacy. For example, Herman could use surveys of customers to find out this information. In fact, many businesses use customer surveys rather than electronic surveillance to evaluate the honesty of their sales...
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...content of the Internet to one powerful global agency would bring results like two sides of a coin. From one side there would be some advantages, however from other side there would be disadvantages. In order to make a decision whether such agency would be good idea or bad, it is important to make a reasonable comparison between advantages and disadvantages. Firstly, let’s examine possible advantages. In today’s world, it can be observed that there are some countries who have totalitarian governments. And those governments want to keep control of everything. That’s why they are censoring some internet activities. Current governments of some countries like Russia, China, Iran, Vietnam, Turkey and etc… are putting lots of efforts in order to monitor internet activities and they are using Internet for surveillance. The worse part is they mostly use defending the stability of country as an excuse. Such mechanism as one powerful agency which would have control of internet might be solution for such globally totalitarian governance examples. Of course, it is impossible to please everyone, but still one controlling mechanism would make lots of things easier. Since Internet took place of traditional media sources, newspapers and tv, it can be counted as platform for people to speak freely. However, governments who surveil Internet for their political benefits to keep domestic “stability” limit or even destroy freedom of speech as well. As controlling media channels give governments chance to...
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...There have also been comparative studies on how privacy has changed for people over the years with the boom of social networking sites and smart phones. But, there has not been a substantial study or analysis conducted on how people's privacy has been directly affected by the ever-increasing population boom of mobile-phone users. This comparative study analyzes the concept of privacy with respect to mobile surveillance and draws upon prior work in the field of mobile surveillance, ranging from popular press on government surveillance in India and USA and case studies in these two countries related to people’s view on privacy, to the works of ACLU (American Civil Liberty Union) in USA and Stop CMS (Central Monitoring System) in India. The study is built around the analysis and comparison of the issue of mobile surveillance in both the countries, how people dealt with this, and the role of culture in determining people’s view on privacy. It also proposes suggestions for how future research can be carried out in the field of mobile surveillance. Keywords Privacy, surveillance, culture, mobile technology, society, ACLU, CMS Introduction The widespread use of mobile phones in the past decades have led to various developments in the field of communication. There has been a lot of positive development in the field of communication in both developing and developed countries. But, at the same time there has also been negative impacts too. The...
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...the law – page 5 Impact on computing – page 6 Surveillance on Businesses – page 9 Penalty on non-compliance – page 10 Internet Service Providers – page 10 Conclusion – page 12 References – page 13 Abstract The Patriot Act was written into law just a mere 45 days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. The Patriot Act was intended to counter terrorism by providing law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies with an easier means to target those connected to terrorism. The Patriot Act has had a great impact on corporations, how they are surveilled and monitored, and huge penalties on noncompliance of the Patriot Act. This paper will further discuss the Patriot Act and its effects on Corporations. Introduction The terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001 shook the foundation of the faith that America had in her security. This prompted congressional action on counteractive action to avoid a repeat occurrence of the terrorist attack on US soil. Measures that were taken included the passage of a Congressional Act referred to as the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act of 2001, hereby referred to as the Patriot Act. The passing of the Patriot Act was intended to provide comprehensive anti-terrorism laws that would enhance national security against terrorism, improve on surveillance of terrorist activities, fight money laundering...
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...Society: The Government is watching ENG 122 Prof. Shannon Bilunas 02/28/13 Privacy in Today’s Society: The Government is watching The thought of someone watching my every move is not only scary but also annoying. It's like living in a house with no doors. Everyone needs privacy in his or her life. I've always heard people refer to the government as "Big Brother". Big brothers are supposed to protect their younger siblings. Is "Big Brother" protecting us? Or just out right being nosey & invading our privacy? In our society today everything we do is being tracked. There's video surveillance everywhere we turn. Every click of a mouse or push of a button on the Internet is being tracked & logged. Almost everything today is GPS enabled. The government can access these records, videos, and locate people from their GPS enabled device without their knowledge. Scott McNealy couldn’t have said it any better “You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it” (Sprenger, 1999, para.1). The evolution of technology has made it easier for Big Brother to watch us. Our privacy against government intrusion is virtually impossible because technology has provided more access than our judicial, legislative and political systems have developed restrictions. After 9/11 The Patriot Act was one of many surveillance laws that made it easier for the government to keep an eye on us. The change in this law gave the government more authority to check any citizen’s Internet usage, obtain...
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...Classmates of BIS/221 From: Debra K. Godfrey Date: 6/1/2015 Re: Surveillance by national security agencies Wiki leak is an organization that deals with journalistic activities involving the publishing of information considered secret with unknown sources. Recently documents came up known as the Snowden documents showing how staff working for wiki leaks have been victims of surveillance by both the United states as well as British national security agencies. This was a very serious document that show how agencies of the government go to the extents of tapping communication channels for those working at wiki leaks together with those who support it. It has been a very crucial aspect that puts into spotlight the ethics surrounding the whole situation. This surveillance is not backed by warrants and this makes it illegal for the agencies to perform such activities. It is a form of violation of privacy and it also violates people’s right to express themselves as well as do their activities at their own privacy. It creates a sense of being watched. Just think when you are under surveillance you are being watched, making it possible for people to get the following information: 1. Name 2. Birthdate 3. Social Security Number 4. Address 5. Personal Information 6. Banking Information Scary is it? The next time you are under surveillance keep an eye out. These agencies tapped into the internet where they could get information about people in real time and this...
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