Arguments In Favor of Government Data Collection and Surveillance are Omitting Many Key Factors by cryptofreedom

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· @cryptofreedom ·
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Arguments In Favor of Government Data Collection and Surveillance are Omitting Many Key Factors
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<h2>If Governments establish that "individuals are willing to give up their privacy for safety", shouldn't individuals at least realize they made that bargain?</h2>
<p>The first argument that supporters of Big Data turn to is either that they "have nothing to hide" or that individuals are willing to sacrifice privacy is it increases security and safety. Not only are both of these arguments inherently flawed, but if governments and firms establish individuals are willing to sacrifice personal privacy for security, shouldn't the individuals at least know that they have made that bargain? Individuals don't have a choice about whether they consent to collection of their data because their consent is "given" through passive means, but don't individuals have the right to be fully informed about the use of their data?&nbsp;</p>
<p>Currently if an individual wishes to join facebook they must first accept the terms and conditions of the platform, which allow Facebook complete and total control over the monetization and distribution of individual's data. The wording within the Terms &amp; Conditions is often intentionally convoluted and complicated. If an individual establishes that they are not okay with FaceBook controlling their data their only option is to leave the platform or never join in the first place. A very small majority of people are properly educated and informed in regards to the uses of their data, and this is largely because companies intentionally try to mask their true uses for data from their users. If FaceBook was forced to directly tell its users everything that it does with their data, then it would likely act as a much greater deterrent for many individuals using the platform.&nbsp;</p>
<p>http://alt-market.com/images/stories/surveillance.jpg</p>
<h2>The worst part about the government's mass data collection is that there is absolutely no evidence that it has made anyone safer.&nbsp;</h2>
<p>Unlike firms like FaceBook which have passive consent from their users, the government's data collection programs receive no form of consent from individuals. Just because an individual owns and uses a cell phone, doesn't mean that they are consenting to the collection and recording of every interaction that takes place through their device. The government employes private "contractors" or contracting companies who engage in the collection of citizens data. The user of third parties allows the government to "legally" distance themselves from the data collection of its citizens, even though they are the ones tasking the third parties to collect the data which is all shared with the specific federal agency. If it had not been for whistleblowers such as Thomas Drake and Edward Snowden, then the government's data collection would still be completely hidden from the public.</p>
<p>After each leak and exposure of the government's surveillance activities, the government always moves to the argument that the surveillance is "necessary" for the safety of society as a whole. The main flaw in this argument is that there has not been a single case where the interception of data has stopped a terrorist attack or catastrophe from occurring. &nbsp;While the collection has helped authorities track individuals after the event, it has never stopped such an attack from happening. Its not difficult to see why the current data collection tactics are severely ineffective when we consider the sheer amount of digital communications sent every day.</p>
<p>&nbsp;Instead of employing an algorithm or program to selectively collect data based on the individual, the government simply collects all data of all of its citizens and many other people around the globe. How could a data collection program be successful when we consider that there &nbsp;are over<strong> 205 billion emails sent globally every day</strong>? Even with the best technology and programs in the world the sheer amount of data makes it impossible turn the data into anything substantive, which defeats the whole purpose of data collection in the first place.&nbsp;</p>
<p>http://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/75/76/1653184931-Benjamin-Franklin-They-who-would-give-up-an-essential-liberty-for-temporary-security-deserve-neither-liberty-or-security.png</p>
<h2>The "if you aren't doing anything wrong then you have nothing to hide." argument is completely hypocritical.&nbsp;</h2>
<p>This argument has been presented on numerous occasions by the US government, and is one of the most hypocritical arguments to be made, especially by the US government. If the NSA and other federal agencies that collect citizen's data have nothing to hide, then why have they never been truthful with their citizens regarding surveillance? There is a reason that these agencies need to employ contractors to do their dirty work, and that's simply because they are fully aware that these agencies are not legally allowed to engage in this behavior themselves. If these agencies had nothing to hide then why have do they employ specific courts such as the completely confidential FISA courts to allow them to capture an individual's data? The government takes all actions possible to keep their programs and actions concealed from the public, yet tries to convince individuals that they have nothing to worry about because they are only tracking "high priority" individuals or something to that extent.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Virtually all of the public's information regarding government surveillance has come about by means of whistleblowers, yet individuals are supposed to have faith that these secretive agencies taking secretive actions are of no threat to them? The sad part about this is that in many cases individuals still do have a blind faith that their data is not at risk or that government surveillance has no impact on their lives.&nbsp;When we look at the vast scope of government surveillance compared to the leaked programs or actions that the public now know about, it is highly probable that the government has continued its surveillance in more intrusive ways that the public simply doesn't know of yet. &nbsp;Many individuals seem to write government surveillance off because the government doesn't do anything with their data that they know of, but isn't the fact that the government has the ability to access everything about an individual's life enough to make people reject these programs?</p>
<p>https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/71/2f/ab/712fabdd9115070185d32368d605e491.jpg</p>
<h2>If anyone in the government actually believed individuals are willing to sacrifice privacy for security, wouldn't they inform citizens of the trade off?</h2>
<p>How would anyone in the government or any government institution have any idea if individuals are truly willing to sacrifice their privacy for the "safety of society" if the citizens aren't even aware that they have agreed to it? Instead of presenting the idea to the American citizens and getting their responses and reactions, the government will decide what is truly " best for the people". This is just one of countless examples of the US government deciding what is best for all of its citizens, even whenever the action strips their citizens of numerous rights.&nbsp;Even if the programs are "officially" scaled back, how can citizens believe anything these agencies are saying? When we look at the track record of agencies such as the NSA, they have done absolutely nothing but lie, conceal their actions, and vastly intrude into every individuals personal life. Why would we blindly believe anything that this agency claims to have modified or changed?&nbsp;</p>
<p>Since the very beginning of mass data collection by the US government, there has never been any truthful information regarding surveillance given voluntarily by the government or any government agency to the public. Even after these programs have become public, there have been few substantive actions taken to scale back these programs. With all of the governments spying actions completely public, we would expect more individuals to be concerned about their digital privacy than there currently is. It remains a relatively small majority of society that truly understand the full reach and total implications of government surveillance, while everyone else seems to like to ignore it. It will likely take a major change in public opinion before anything will change, and even then the change may come about through individuals employing encryption rather than the government modifying its actions.&nbsp;</p>
<h3><em><strong>There is a reason that the framers of the US constitution felt it necessary to include a mail protection clause which made it illegal for the government to open your mail, and that's because mail was the mode of communication at the time... What makes digital communication any different?</strong></em></h3>
<h3>I really hope that you enjoyed this post, and I urge you to leave any comments, opinions, input, ect. in the comments below! If you enjoyed this post please consider giving me a follow to see more upcoming related posts! &nbsp;Thanks for reading!</h3>
<p>image sources:<a href="http://alt-market.com/images/stories/surveillance.jpg">1</a>-<a href="http://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/75/76/1653184931-Benjamin-Franklin-They-who-would-give-up-an-essential-liberty-for-temporary-security-deserve-neither-liberty-or-security.png">2</a>-<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/71/2f/ab/712fabdd9115070185d32368d605e491.jpg">3</a></p>
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Re: Arguments In Favor of Government Data Collection and Surveillance are Omitting Many Key Factors
<p>This post has been ranked within the top 50 most undervalued posts in the first half of Feb 15. We estimate that this post is undervalued by $3.75 as compared to a scenario in which every voter had an equal say.</p> 
<p>See the full rankings and details in <a href="https://steemit.com/curation/@screenname/the-daily-tribune-most-undervalued-posts-of-feb-15---part-i">The Daily Tribune: Feb 15 - Part I</a>. You can also read about some of our methodology, data analysis and technical details in <a href="https://steemit.com/curation/@screenname/introducing-the-daily-tribune-most-undervalued-posts-of-nov-04---part-i">our initial post</a>.</p>
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