Is Internet Surveillance Absolutely Necessary?
In a world where criminals get cleverer and crimes get stranger there is a constant need for surveillance at all levels and in all spheres. The cyber world is therefore not exception to this implementation of high level security systems. Just when you think that you are safe when you use your computer, you realize that somebody can actually keep track of you without your knowledge. This internet surveillance as it is called can be done by an outside agency so discreetly, that as a user, you will be totally ignorant that you are being tracked.
The internet surveillance that is being carried out today can be broadly classified into two categories: one for commercial or marketing reasons and the other for purely security (usually pertaining to a state) reasons. Whatever may be the reason, the fact remains that it is fairly easy to keep track of the work that is being done on your computer, without actually having to look over your shoulder.
Marketing and advertising agencies use a benign form or internet surveillance to keep track of the kind of sites that are visited by people, by following the trail left by their net browsing patterns. This is made possible by identifying and recording the cookies that pop up on the computer, when a certain site is accessed. This leads them to information about the user who might frequent specific sites over a period of time. This information is then compiled to know what products or services the person may be interested in. It is one of the most foolproof ways of determining what a potential customer may be looking for. The second category of internet surveillance is done by government and security agencies that need to keep track of the passage of information all the time. Sensitive information which might be in encrypted form can actually be intercepted and recorded. This is how the movement, plans and all other information pertaining to antisocial and criminal elements is not just identified, but also recorded for use at a later date.
The advancement in the field of internet surveillance has led to a whole new debate that has been raging in every quarter of society. There are people who are seemingly not concerned about the fact that their privacy might be at stake. Innocent people who have been perfect law abiding citizens all their lives may come under the scrutiny of security agencies just because the law needs to keep track of criminal elements. This becomes an ethical issue: to what extent is internet surveillance justified? There is growing discontent about the fact that private lives of people can no longer be kept private. The governments of most countries have been trying their best to implement some sort of surveillance on the net, without intruding into the privacy of individuals; however, it is difficult to keep a proper balance in this issue.
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