According to the new rankings from the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the US government is near the bottom of the list insofar as privacy rights go, showing “endemic” surveillance against its own subjects. Also at the bottom of the list: United Kingdom, China, Russia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, and France.
Give a smile to Big Brother for us.
Governments have created hundreds of key policy initiatives that, combined, may fundamentally destabilize core elements of personal privacy. Among these are proposals for the creation across society of “perfect” identity using fingerprint and iris scanning biometrics the linkage of public sector computer systems, the development of real-time tracking and monitoring throughout the communications spectrum, the development of real-time geographic vehicle and mobile phone tracing, national DNA databases, the creation of global information sharing agreements and the elimination of anonymity in cyberspace.
The potential for engagement of these developments is currently limited to a marginal response. The problem for civil society – or indeed anyone wishing to challenge surveillance – is not simply the sheer magnitude of the threat, but also its complexity and diversity.
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The rhetoric of “democracy” (i.e. “The people choose their own government and make the laws, and they are free”) has placed it above ‘dictatorship’ and all other forms of government. In actual fact existentially (that is the everyday day to day experience of individuals living under what is commonly known as ‘democracy’ or ‘dictatorship’ is not that different. The modern State was built by Napoleon and all States model themselves on it. Nazi Germany (the worst case scenario offered by the rhetoric of democracy) was similar to the US, in fact in the US now there is far more surveillence than there ever was in Nazi Germany. Technology has made it possible, but also we have become more centralized and dependent on controling technology. And since the Twin Towers in New York were brought down…they have been used as an excuse by the ‘western democracies’ to reverse 200 years of liberal and civil legistlation (someone is innocent until proven guilty)….we are living through the birth pangs of a global democratic dictatorship.
By: roma38 on January 17 2008
at 5:19