The evolution of technology
We, as humans, are generally rather immersed in tech. We create data, store it on devices and share it with the world. Yes, sometimes this can be harmless and fine. But there is always a chance of users not having control over their information or being exposed to unlawful surveillance.
It goes without saying that we should address the issue of surveillance. There are more CCTV cameras now than ever before, with one for every 11 people in the UK. Already 600 million CCTV cameras are around the world and over 6,000 in London alone.
There is also no guaranteed safety with credit cards either. Every euro we spend gets added to a list of our transactions that plenty of people have access to. Intelligence services can monitor transactions looking for suspicious patterns which could indicate terrorist activity.
This is true of smartphone owners, as well as any other device we use, since they store and track a lot of information about you – from your movements to your online searches.
The more technologically advanced a mobile phone is, the better friend it is to companies that sell sensitive personal data to every loyal customer.
Smart TVs
Anyone that has a smart TV connected to the internet is at risk of not only having the TV and all their recordings be recorded, but also being watched by other people.
Most are equipped with microphones and cameras – so hacking into servers, while possible, can be difficult. Anyone can watch a TV set who knows about and wants to, and it is not unheard of for such people to get hacked in the process. These hacking cases have sparked several public debates about safety in regards to the connectivity that TVs have with servers, however.
Loose control structures can lead to hacking and data theft. The installation on the device of programs to collect surveillance may be possible.
Electronic searches and search history
When you search online, the system records and stores the data for a long time. For example, hacker might be able to get your details. He could possibly read all of your emails in case of security breach.
It is quite difficult to imagine how Snowden managed it. How did he find out the monitoring of every aspect of our lives? The mere violation of civil liberties should have been more than enough for us to realize that something evil was going on. If the US is the worst offending country, then it is far from being the only one that had to admit to illegally spying on its citizens
The UK’s internet service providers will now keep a year of browsing history in order to help fight against terrorism. Censorship can be a major problem with keyboards such as ‘smart’ ones that watch your every move and input data accordingly. One wrong keyword and you could be sending yourself straight to the security agency’s offices.
Social media
Depending on our individual account settings for each network, everyone can see what we posted on social media. So far, so good. This is how social networking works after all. There are, however, some problems that follow social media in the way they manage our preferences and words – and the doors they’ve opened up to governments & intelligence agencies
To avoid monitoring, you should reconsider your methods of communication by using encrypted methods.
For some reason, the UK has been a frontrunner in this realm. The US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia follow behind. More countries will soon follow suit.
Digital identification technologies
It all started with a car license plate recognition app. Most nations embraced this application to make the roads safer. Then it got real interesting when there was an Aeolian flood.
In reality, senior police officers in England were forming ideas about how to use identification technology. For example, a former police chief admitted that the police weren’t stopping there. He started to think about how they could be of use for more than just tasks, such as tracking criminals. Tony Porter, the President of the UK Chamber of Commerce says. “The number of cameras set up for license plate recognition is one of the largest data providers in the world,” yet he has caused a stir, as they are unpopular in his country.
It’s a current trend to have sensors at shops, in order to collect more data about customer behavior and their physical presence in the store. While that sounds invasive and problematic, it also has some benefits. AI writers also have important uses in the field of intelligence, which can range from public security to improving public understanding of a country’s goings on.
Added to all this is voice recognition technology, the latest in surveillance fashion! Although not yet widespread, the next few years will bring even more programs that can record, store and recognize our voices.
With so many people monitored electronically, it can help reduce crime and increase safety. Nowadays the most commonly used surveillance is in the form of fashion. It’s easier to monitor criminals and children, as you’ll have access to all their whereabouts.
A Russian company as early as 2012, and an American company afterwards, claimed to have the know-how and have already stored the voices of millions of citizens in their databases. The software can recognise them.
Despite the still ongoing debate, some states in Mexico and the US have already begun to use this technology for its citizens’ safety.
Despite not admitting it for so many years, an important revelation took place on March 2016. The US government has been using drones/UAVs to spy on its citizens. They are in use not just in military situations, but also for other purposes. However lots of details will release soon. Too much remains unknown at this time.
FOIA requests have revealed a lot of information about government activity so it’s interesting to wonder what the FBI isn’t revealing. Of course this may sound scary at first and those who want to keep the status quo are certainly not going to be happy, but the facts speak for themselves. This is not the only government that is watching it’s citizens. Now would be an ideal time to work towards a more protective future for our society.
You can find another technology article on developments here.
Author: PC-GR
The World of Technology
