Cell Phones and Privacy

Where pay phones used to secure are anominity, now some are trying to take that away from us. Its argued that by being able to track phone calls or calling patterns that the government can protect its people from terrorists or other organized threats. There is some validity in that because it would be hard to organize a massive attack without being able to contact others from far away. Wouldn't terrorists (even if just the smart ones) be able to get around this? If all calls could be tracked and they terrorists knew it they would probably avoid using that means of communication. In that sense, tracking calls would only bother people who weren't actually doing anything. Let me tell you, there are some legitamit reasons to want to protect your identity for innocent people as well.  The person who wants to find out some information by calling Alcoholics Anonymous or the woman who wants to access information through Planning Parenthood, for instance, might be embarraced by the fact that they have to call. Fearing that somehow, someone might know their idenity, that person might neglect to attain the care that they need. Not everyone who is doing something privately is doing something wrong, and chances are the people who are doing something wrong are going to do it with ot without phones. People have the right to remain anonymous and private.

GPS Chips - Good for Your Dog AND Your Kid....

Being able to track down your beloved dog using a GPS tracking device (such as Tagg) is probably one of the better implications of technology I've seen in a long time (believe me, I was that twelve-year-old girl whose dog ran away and never returned) The loss of a pet is unbearable; I can't imagine what the loss of a child or a elderly relative would be (although i think my parents kind of get it....I was also the little girl who "ran away") So why not just stick the rascals with a tracking device and call it a day? I can see how some people would hesitate to accept this, but with the right regulations this could be a huge step toward a completely safe society. Here are my thoughts on some concerns or complications:

1. First, how is this going to infringe on kid's right to privacy? For children under eight this would be a no-brainer (given that the device would have no adverse affects on child development) because kids don't have the juridiction to make decisions for themselves. This is a great way to both recover your kid if they are lost or kidnapped, and deter criminals from kidnapping kids in the first place. It could potentially make kidnapping futile. Pinning this on kids above the age of 16 gets a little iffy though. This is a time when a kid starts to branch off from their parents and get some independence and the idea of being tracked and under constant surveillance would impede that development of trust between the parent and the child. Plus, this is something that is going inside their body. A kid can't be forced to have a tattoo or a piercing, and after the age of 16, when a kid is old enough to operate a vehicle, they should be old enough to decide if they want to be tracked or not.  
2. Anyone who had the chip would have to be legally aware that they have the chip in them. I would be 100% against any sort of law requiring families to use such a device. Parents should have the right to decide how they raise their kids but anything beyond adequate protection is optional. Because there is no one way to parent, there cannot be laws implemented on how to do so so long as the kid is not being harmed.  
3. For those elderly people: you can't force an adult to wear a tracking device. They have the right to decide if they would like people to know where they are at all times. If a patient suspects that thier condition going to get progressively worse, they should specify then if they want the people who will take care of them to be able to track them just as they would decide who to give their assets to after their death.

Where to begin...

Hey everyone! I'm Crysta and I'm enrolled in Living in a Networked World here at UNH. We discuss how technology affects society as a whole, as individuals and what the role of ethics is in the Digital Age. Lets get the party started!