ChemicalBrother
26th March 2006, 06:07
Reactions?
Recent developments across the nation and specifically in New York City have police officers petitioning for millions of dollars to place high resolution cameras and audio sensors to track suspicious persons creating a “ring of steel” throughout the downtown areas. This transformation of public space into surveillance property has me very troubled; civil liberties have become the currency which is exchanged for “security” from terrorists and anarchists. One may argue that the cameras and microphones can only pose a threat to the liberty of those who are clearly breaking the law, and it is justifiable to use all the means of modern technology to find and catch these criminals. This technology provides the government with unparalleled power to execute its legislation and is the ultimate means of social control. This is why I am concerned; technology does not create social change, it only creates a context for which change can occur. If the government is presented with an opportunity to use this powerful surveillance technology without constraint I fear that “absolute power will corrupt absolutely” and new legislation will be enacted to utilize this technology to continue to strip away the rights of privacy. Take for example, the printing press, which had affects on society that could not have been imagined at the time of its creation. The technology spurred changes that could not have been fathomed nor predicted by anyone; the ability of these cameras to record conversations, take pictures and track movement is an important technological development that demands much more than formal inquiry by the average citizen. If for some reason the government wished to compile a list of people who share a common dissenting opinion, this technology would make it much easier for social deviants to be identified. Technology is a tool, and this is a very powerful tool which has just been placed in the hands of an administration that does not have the best civil liberties record. Our nation has been injected with fears of terrorism and violence to justify the increased surveillance of the population. I also fear that after the conclusion of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan a new “war” will continue to suppress the civil liberties of citizens in the name of patriotic duty and responsibility. Cameras and Microphones may be used to catch crack dealers and speeders today, but success and expansion of this program spells the end of any privacy rights outside your home. I do not foresee any circumstance that would allow this technology to expand the establishment of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble; I only see this technology as restricting freedom of speech and assembly in the future. The rights of Americans are never safe when the government has the means to seize those rights; say a Coup D’Etat was to occur in the next five years and a maniacal dictator seized power. The infrastructure would already be in place for a high degree of social control to be enacted and enforced.
Recent developments across the nation and specifically in New York City have police officers petitioning for millions of dollars to place high resolution cameras and audio sensors to track suspicious persons creating a “ring of steel” throughout the downtown areas. This transformation of public space into surveillance property has me very troubled; civil liberties have become the currency which is exchanged for “security” from terrorists and anarchists. One may argue that the cameras and microphones can only pose a threat to the liberty of those who are clearly breaking the law, and it is justifiable to use all the means of modern technology to find and catch these criminals. This technology provides the government with unparalleled power to execute its legislation and is the ultimate means of social control. This is why I am concerned; technology does not create social change, it only creates a context for which change can occur. If the government is presented with an opportunity to use this powerful surveillance technology without constraint I fear that “absolute power will corrupt absolutely” and new legislation will be enacted to utilize this technology to continue to strip away the rights of privacy. Take for example, the printing press, which had affects on society that could not have been imagined at the time of its creation. The technology spurred changes that could not have been fathomed nor predicted by anyone; the ability of these cameras to record conversations, take pictures and track movement is an important technological development that demands much more than formal inquiry by the average citizen. If for some reason the government wished to compile a list of people who share a common dissenting opinion, this technology would make it much easier for social deviants to be identified. Technology is a tool, and this is a very powerful tool which has just been placed in the hands of an administration that does not have the best civil liberties record. Our nation has been injected with fears of terrorism and violence to justify the increased surveillance of the population. I also fear that after the conclusion of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan a new “war” will continue to suppress the civil liberties of citizens in the name of patriotic duty and responsibility. Cameras and Microphones may be used to catch crack dealers and speeders today, but success and expansion of this program spells the end of any privacy rights outside your home. I do not foresee any circumstance that would allow this technology to expand the establishment of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble; I only see this technology as restricting freedom of speech and assembly in the future. The rights of Americans are never safe when the government has the means to seize those rights; say a Coup D’Etat was to occur in the next five years and a maniacal dictator seized power. The infrastructure would already be in place for a high degree of social control to be enacted and enforced.