The Value of Privacy
In the wake of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 there has been a very vocal and to some alarming re-examination of the value of Privacy in America. The Patriot Act, which was passed into law in 2001 following the attacks of September eleventh has greatly shifted the balance of expectation between privacy and the state’s ability to examine the live’s of it’s citizens. While some supporters of this legislation say “What do you have to hide?” I reply to them, “Many things”.
The right of privacy, of an individual from other individuals or from the state, is sacrosanct in many societies around the world. These rights are not given (or rather demanded and taken, as all rights are) out of a sympathy for lawbreakers but rather as a layer of protection to isolate the citizen from a government figure misusing his power. The problem with a government that can freely invade your privacy at will is not that they can use that power to stop the enemies of the state, for that it something everyone salutes, but rather what else that power can and will be used for.
Ultimately, there are always abuses from people in a position of authority; this has been shown in every country across the world where authority exists. Rather than wish for an idealistic society where this doesn’t happen we must face the reality that it is inevitable and deal with it by keeping our politicians under close scrutiny to ensure they do not violate our rights; not hand them a blank cheque to do whatever they want.
What dangers come from this invasion of privacy? When everything is filmed it is much easier to silence someone who opposes you. Since ultimately nearly everyone does something terrible at some point in your life, the government will have the ability to completely discredit you based on that one moment. This means that if you oppose the government on point A, rather than debating point A the government can bring up incident G that they videotaped, where you were perhaps caught off guard in a heated moment and destroy your credibility.
Secondly, when everything is recorded it will be much easier to censor and eliminate dissenting voices. So called “dissidents’ can be identified early and silenced through the many means those in power have of silencing those who speak the truth (like the church did to Copernicus). Unfortunately, the progress of most of the great nations in the world and such developments as capitalism and democracy are ultimately the product of the dissenting voices of the past and by silencing these individuals we risk stagnation and decline.
Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying “Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither” and this is never more evident than today. It is irresponsible and ultimately bad for society to choose the easy path, that of security over liberty. It is the mark of a brave and heroic society that strives for both.
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