No Place to Hide
On the website, the first thing I noticed was the statement right below the heading:
“When you go to work, stop at the store, fly in a plane, or surf the web, you are being watched. They know where you live, the value of your home, the names of your friends and family, in some cases even what you read. Where the data revolution meets the needs of national security, there is no place to hide. ”
The statement kind of freaked me out, probably because I know that it’s true. I know I basically have very little privacy, especially dealing with technology and the issue of “national security.” Not only can my every move be captured in every public store or setting I’m in by surveillance cameras, but now since most records are online, like bank statements and flight information, my personal information can be known too. This topic is being investigated by No Place to Hide, which is a multimedia investigation led by Robert O’Harrow, Jr. and the Center for Investigative Reporting. On the site, one can read the final chapter and reviews of the book, read interviews from significant figures such as John Ashcroft and Viet Dinh, and can find links to radio and television clippings about the investigation. I enjoyed reading the last chapter of the book and it really made me believe that we no longer own the details of our lives, but that they belong to the “companies that collect them, and the government agencies that buy or demand them.” However, remember it’s OK because it’s all in the name of keeping us safe.
TIA and Data Mining
On this Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) web page information was provided on the tracking system called Total Information Awareness (TIA), which was designed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in November of 2002. Knowing nothing of the project, I learned that the goal of the TIA project was to develop data-mining tools that would sort through a database of records (medical, financial, travel, communication, etc.) of individuals, so that the government could track potential activity and catch potential terrorists and criminals. This project was shut down though in September 2003 when Congress eliminated their funding. However, projects like TIA still exist. From the “Latest News” section of the site I learned that there are almost 200 data mining projects, either operating or in planning, through the federal government today. Many make use of our personal data from private sector databases. This really make me wonder how much of my right for privacy is being violated by the government?
YouTube Video
On YouTube it states that the video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Viacom, therefore I cannot make any comments on the video. Please let know if anyone has found it!
Felicia, I had a conversation with my boss at work today about internet privacy, and I thought I'd share it because of your comment about the first article.
ReplyDeleteMy boss is an elderly woman who has been a professional in the field of psychology for the past several decades. As such, she's worked in both pre- and post-internet environments. Today, and not for the first time, she voiced her concern about being 'watched' every time she goes online. She then asked me if this was something my/our generation was worried about. After some thought, I responded that I was worried about it, but that I felt as thought there was a kind of leveling effect because information companies hold so much information on everyone, not just a select few. Whether or not it's 'all in the name of keeping us safe,' I guess my fears about privacy are somewhat assuaged when I remember that it's not just me or you that lacks privacy, but everyone in general.
Sometimes I question whether "national security" is worth the invasion of privacy.
ReplyDeleteI also question if "national security" is worth an invasion of privacy. There are so few terrorists compared to the population in general. It also bothers me that there is a possibility that insurance companies may get information on previous medical conditions and deny someone coverage. AAHHHH! I have big issues with insurance companies.
ReplyDeleteNo, it doesn't seem to be worth it.