Is mass surveillance organised by states benefic?

Thèmes abordés

Mass surveillance, social control, socia media, Whatsapp, terrorism, fighting criminals, child pornography, al-Qaeda, Daesh, surveillance

Résumé du document

Mass surveillance is the close observation of an entire population or a fraction of it. Nowadays, governments perform mass surveillance of their citizens in order to protect them from dangerous groups such as terrorists, criminals, or political subversives and to maintain social control. Companies also have a role to play in mass surveillance because they collect and sell every information about their users.

Extraits

[...] In other words, the collect and the scan of your metadata is legal. Even if you know that your metadata are collected by app or websites, you keep using them. For instance, we had to make a discussion to share our information about mass surveillance. So you created a WhatsApp group. I suppose you don't know what WhatsApp does with our messages, right? Well WhatsApp keeps your conversations secret. Nobody can access to what you say on this app. It uses a very strong encryption method that protects your privacy. [...]

[...] Mass surveillance help countries to develop a better understanding of each other. Not in the hand-holding, peace-and-love sense, but in knowing what is a genuine threat and what is bluster or posturing. Freed from fear of surprising new weapons, and surprise attacks, countries could safely shrink their militaries. And with reduced armies, we should be able to expect reduced warfare, continuing the historical trend in conflict reduction since the end of the Second World War. II) Mass surveillance from companies is legal. [...]

[...] They want to reinforce mass surveillance because we need it. III) The necessity of developing a world of total surveillance If mass surveillance already exists and is criticized on some point, we have to develop it in order to transform our world in a total surveillance society. Developing mass surveillance with new technologies such as implanting microchip in citizens is necessary to improve our lives. Mass surveillance could help by catching pandemics in their earliest stages. Most importantly, those infected could rapidly be informed of their condition, allowing them to seek prompt treatment. [...]

[...] Mass surveillance put a stronger sword of Damocles on criminals' head. Cameras in the street and avoiding crimes Mass surveillance can destroy the feelings of insecurity: you wouldn't fear an assault when you walk alone in the street by night if you knew that cameras are recording. Technology and punishing criminals Furthermore, more and more people use computers and technologies to commit illegal things like watching child pornography or selling drugs. The development of mass surveillance by scanning internet research or recording telecommunication gives better chance to the police to catch criminals Police today use triangulation methods to listen to dealers' communication, that means they record every messages or phones call in a special area. [...]

[...] Government has always kept an eye on their population through different ways and adapting surveillance to new technologies is totally normal. If you want to be protected from terrorism and war, then you need to give up some of your right to privacy. Moreover, developing mass surveillance with the goal to establish a world of total surveillance is necessary, it would help us in fighting pandemics, natural disasters and even in science. Mass surveillance is a great invention for us and it has to be reinforced. [...]