Earlier this month, I posted a journal article translation piece about developments in facial recognition software. One of the topics I didn't touch on during that discussion, but is implied for most people, was privacy issues. Yesterday, Threat Level (a Wired.com blog) wrote about the the current case before the Supreme Court, in a post entitled All Three Branches Agree: Big Brother Is the New Normal. Other news agencies are obviously also writing about the case, this is the one that caught my eye first.
What's so amazing about this case is that it's not about whether or not it's legal for government agencies to monitor phone calls and emails with foreign parties of interest. (Before I continue, let me just add the disclaimer that I'm not a lawyer, and I've likely missed a nuance here.) The case is whether or not groups or individuals have the right to sue the government for this surveillance, since they can't prove whether or not they were being watched/listened to. All of that information is unavailable, so how would you know?
On the one hand, I see this as a necessary part of national security. Doing everything we can to prepare for security issues, wherever they may come from. It's not like there's no foundation for these concerns. On the other hand, it's incredibly frustrating. It makes everyday citizens and non-governmental organizations paranoid about their communications, even if they've done nothing wrong, just because they're communicating with someone outside the US. How can we balance security with privacy, especially in our technology-centric lives?
[As an aside, these topics make me want to re-read 1984 and other books I didn't appreciate in high school.]
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