For All This Security, US Pays with Privacy

Nabilah DeenOctober 10, 2013 There’s something about taking a philosophy course that makes you review your outlook on life.Getting into the deep and complicated areas of ethical, moral and religious debates is something I really enjoy. I get to ask the hard questions.Take for example, the burning ethical debate of the last few months: Should the National Security Agency be allowed to monitor our private information?It sure seems that when it comes to national security, the U.S. likes to  play dirty.I’m not going to focus on the newest update to the government drama. I’m sure every paper, video and online medium has covered the NSA and Edward Snowden issue to death.But it’s worth asking how we got to this point. If the issue has always been framed around how much of our privacy we are sacrificing for the sake of security, it would be nice to know when we decided security was on par with privacy in the first place.It all depends on what you value most. According to psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, security is fundamental to our well-being.Without security, one can’t even ensure a sense of comfort, for a lack of security indicates an absence of privacy.The world we live in isn’t free of corruption, nor is it free of that initial caution we all take when first meeting strangers in a public setting.Forfeiting my privacy to someone else, when I don’t know exactly how they will use that advantage over me, won’t necessarily ensure my security. Cost doesn’t outweigh benefit.With the advancement of technology, privacy risks continue to grow. Social networking privacy settings have attempted to control the amount of information that pop up on search feeds, but the information that you input into online sites are permanently recorded.There are marketing programs that can put together information about you solely based on the time you linger on a product on Amazon, the posts you like on Facebook and even the links you click on different websites.It’s shocking to think this is possible, but it’s used all the time to collect user data. It’s just standard operating procedure.Sure, in the general sense, this information is anonymous. But if you log in via Facebook or email, your activity is linked to your account.Now, when I check into social networking sites, I limit the type and amount of information I post. It’s like having your mother looking over your shoulder all the time — except hopefully your mother would hardly use what she sees against you.And that’s just when you’re online. Improvements to traffic technology — such as digital cameras and license recognition systems — exhibit how new technology will be used in the future to ensure our security. But it will inadvertently invade our privacy in the process. The cost of technology is that while it makes everything more accessible, that includes personal information as well.Honestly, I’m not feeling all that safe despite the constant governmental assurance that the NSA is acting in the best interest of Americans. You would think that with all the surveillance they’re doing, all the shooting tragedies in the last few years could have been avoided.If the NSA is monitoring for terrorist activity, exactly why weren’t preventative actions taken for these shooters?To what extent will we sacrifice our rights to ensure security? At some point, we will have to step up and say this is enough. That we don’t feel safe with anyone reviewing our personal information, our personal activity and our personal lives. Not without a legitimate reason, and certainly not without our permission. That’s the essence of privacy.In that position, I wouldn’t feel safe — just betrayed and disturbed.When I return home, a locked door is an affirmation no one has entered without me. It follows that when I register for online accounts and exams, I’d really like to know that my personal information isn’t being sent to the wrong people for the wrong reasons.But even more, I’d like to just feel safe knowing that the people I put my trust in won’t betray the faith I put in them.Nabilah Deen is a junior civil engineering major.