Total Surveillance: Good or Evil?
I realized that I am part of something that brings much more harm than good.
E. Snowden
There is much debate about how mass surveillance systems affect crime rates. On one hand, they contribute to solving crimes, enhance safety and order in society, and reduce costs and risks for law enforcement agencies. On the other hand, critics of such systems point out that they violate human rights and freedoms, create risks of abuse and discrimination, undermine trust and solidarity in society, and do not guarantee effectiveness and legality in the fight against crime.
Many believe that the argument that mass surveillance technologies can contribute to preventing terrorist attacks and pursuing their perpetrators is not, in itself, a sufficient justification for their use when considering the realm of human rights.
You ask why I chose you. I did not choose – you did. The surveillance established over you means that you have been selected. This term will become clear when you learn how the modern SIGINT system operates. Know that every time you:
- cross a border,
- make a purchase,
- dial a phone number,
- pass by a cell tower,
- communicate with friends,
- write an article,
- visit websites,
- send an email,
- or transmit data,
– you are monitored by a system whose reach is limitless. Because protection is not infallible. Once you have become a victim of the NSA system, it means you are one of the few who realize and can speak about the threat that an unlimited secret police poses to democracy.
The historic letter from Snowden to journalist WikiLeaks Laura Poitras, which initiated his revelations:
We Are All Considered Criminals by Default
Mass surveillance, carried out in the modern world using technology, often places us in the role of constant objects of observation, creating the feeling that we are all under continuous scrutiny. This type of surveillance may be justified in the context of ensuring societal safety, but it also raises serious questions regarding individual rights and freedoms.