A Growing Concern
Privacy has always been the greatest treasure of a free
people. When those in authority seek to
remove a people's privacy, you may be assured that they seek to remove their
freedom as well. One of the greatest
privileges we have enjoyed in this Country is the freedom to live, move and
transact business while maintaining our privacy. It is what has set us apart from many other
oppressive countries around the world.
Yet today, our privacies are being violated in ways too
numerous to count and in ways most do not even realize, because there is a
truth deficit in the main stream media. The Government now
has seized vast power over the American people through a growing network of
surveillance and the invasion of our privacy in ways many never thought
possible.
Each and every day it seems that some new revelation is made
about the growing surveillance system in our nation. We are now even being told that our medical
records (among our most private information) is to be shared with those in
positions of government. What can this
accomplish but to further erode our already limited privacy?
Technology in the Hands of a Tyrant
When one group of people seizes power of another group of
people, one of their main objectives is to hold on to that power. We are living in a land today where every
aspect of our lives is being monitored and recorded. The extent of the surveillance systems in
place is staggering. It is almost
certain that hardly a day goes by without some part of your activity being
monitored or recorded.
- Recording of web searches
- Accessing telephone records
- License plate scanners
- Networks of CCTV cameras everywhere
- Biometrics and facial recognition scanners
The impact of these systems on the privacy of everyday,
law-abiding citizens is staggering. The
argument is made that if you are not doing anything illegal, then you have
nothing to worry about. The fact is that
whether we are doing anything illegal or not has nothing to do with our right
to our own privacy. Again, a free people
are a people with a right to privacy. Free
people have the right to live their lives free of surveillance, and having
their every move, whether physical or digital, recorded by government.
While the surveillance state grows, we are told to trust
those in power, not to abuse that power.
One thing about power is certain.
It cannot be trusted to restrain itself.
Unrestrained power will soon become corrupted power.
In the Future
We can expect the widespread use of surveillance and
truth deficit about it to grow
worse in the years ahead. Citizens
should be vigilant about their privacy and be careful about how much
information they willingly give up.
Again, it is not about being guilty of anything or not. It is about our
right to privacy and the lack of right any government has to violating that
privacy, regardless of their reason for claiming to need it.
Unfortunately today, many people are willing
to give up their privacy for vague promises of security. Don't believe it. Whatever security we receive in exchange for
our privacy is a trade not worth making.
