Technology is increasingly being used to monitor what people are saying and doing (for example, using networks of security cameras and monitoring on line conversation) In many cases, the people being monitoring are unaware that this is happening Do you think the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

Over the past couple of decades, technology has progressed astronomically. New inventions including spyware and communications have allowed the monitoring of the general public without their awareness. There are numerous advantages of blanket monitoring

such

as the foiling of terrorist attacks or finding criminals, but is

this

at the expense of freedom? Privacy is a basic human right. To be able to live without being under the watchful eye of Big Brother is the true definition of freedom. Being monitored 24/7 is a major disadvantage,

due to

violations it imposes. Imagine a situation in which the government sells private data

such

as video or audio recordings to the highest bidder. These can

then

be placed into a database for access to those who pay.

This

can lead to a number of violations.

For instance

, employers may look into prospective employees, allowing them to discriminate based on political views or sexual orientation; information which should be protected by the Data Protection Act. The advantages,

however

, are obvious. Disasters

such

as 9/11 could have been avoided if the relevant authorities received the intelligence beforehand. Not only large-scale terror but

also

local crimes,

for example

, grand theft auto or murder. Those who agree with

this

usually argue that if you do not have anything to hide, you should be okay with living under the watchful eye. My opinion is that the advantages do not outweigh the disadvantages. The sanctity of human rights should be respected and future generations must work hard to ensure it is maintained despite the flourishing technological advancements.