Anonymity, Privacy & Surveillance



Topic: 1

National Security and Anonymity

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles offer new challenges pertaining to civilian surveillance and privacy. They have the ability to collect information from a variety of sensors. The surveillance lasts for long periods on a regular basis. The National security concerns have provided a new dimension to civilian surveillance. Many civil societies raise their voice against the privacy intrusion into everyday social setting. They object to the penetration of so called “surveillance” and consider it as a source of diminishing civil liberty (Ann, 2012). At the same time, the technology has many positive benefits associated to the security concerns. From national security perspective, anonymity is an obstacle to the security management. Therefore, it is essential to license the operators while keeping the ethical values intact.

Mobile Surveillance Data & Citizen's privacy

UAV technology has advanced so much that now it can see through walls and ceilings. FAA demonstrates its responsibility of protecting the airspace along with individuals on the ground. In doing so, they should be concerned about safeguarding the privacy of people on the ground. The term “Dataveillance” refers to the process in which personal systems, including conversations & actions, are monitored (Ann, 2012). If surveillance data is not encrypted, it can be used by others for ill-purposes. For instance, a simple personal conversation can be made public, disrupting the privacy of the individual. This is particularly significant in case of video content, which may carry private interactions & gestures.

The case of Remote controlled Mobile Devices

Such devices should not be allowed to enter private residences. The law enforcement authorities object to it and claim “what is unknown can hurt us most”. Based on this argument, one cannot compromise the right of a civilian to live a comfortable and private life within his house.

Topic 2: Regulations as Hindrance to the business ability to Innovate

Innovation can be advantageous or disadvantageous. It depends upon the nature of regulations which guides the industry specific decisions. According to Lewis, “Regulations can be an obstacle to innovation when it mandates certain technologies or when it forbids certain activities” (2009, p.1). One can observe a contrast that many, who oppose cyber security regulations, reserve their opinions regarding the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The act is a business inspired law which hinders the security research. There are regulations which contradict the value of experimentation such as DES encryption standard in digital signatures.

Law analysts object to the lack of regulations in cyber security, which limits the promising innovation. Another objection is pertaining to the regulated industries. The objection articulates that regulated industries are less secure compared to other industries. The contradicting argument is that the regulation may not be understood in its true context which cultivates an insecure environment (Jay & Catherine, 2011). For instance, if unmanned devices are restricted from capturing media, the security authorities will set back their responsibilities from criminal identification.

The digital networks form the economic backbone. They are accessible to foreign competitors. This can be damaging for ...