Government Surveillance in the Digital Age Essay -- Privacy in the Dig

Government Surveillance in the Digital Age Imagine walking along a busy street in the middle of a sunny day. Also imagine that someone is following you around, videotaping everything you do. Disturbing thought? Even more disturbing is the fact that the United States government is already doing this, and it's perfectly legal. According to Robert Trigaux, a reporter for the St. Petersburg times, until August of 2014, in Ybor City, Florida, the Tampa Police Department used fourty-six surveillance cameras that scanned faces of all people walking around the entertainment district. These surveillance cameras captured facial images and then compared them to a police database of known felons. This same surveillance system was also used during the Tampa Bay Super Bowl at the Raymond James Stadium, and other cities are attempting to install such a system. However, even though the cameras are used in public places, they still represent a large violation of privacy. Also a violation of our privacy is the government's usage of the Carnivore Internet surveillance system that can track all of a person's online activity. The FBI not only has the capability to do so, but in many cases it can lawfully enter a person's home and alter or even steal information form his or her computer, all without the knowledge of the owner of the computer. The government's ability to gather personal information on its citizens is similar to methods of surveillance in the novels The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood, and 1984, by George Orwell. In order to prevent the extreme cases of surveillance presented in these novels, it is the public's responsibility to remain alert to new developments in law enforcement so as to prevent an unreasonable s... ...ore/000724fbi.shmtl>. Herdy, Amy. Tampabay: They made me feel like a criminal. 8 Aug. 2001. St. Petersburg Times. 2 Nov. 2013. . Searching and Seizing Computers and Obtaining Electronic Evidence in Criminal Investigations. July 2012. Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. 26 Oct. 2013. . The Nature and Scope of Governmental Electronic Surveillance Activity. Sep. 2001. Center for Democracy and Technology. 27 Oct. 2013. . Trigaux, Robert. Tampabay: Cameras scanned fans for criminals. 31 Jan. 2001. St. Petersburg Times. 2 Nov. 2003. . Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Signet Classic Printing, 1950.