Edward Snowden's Their Eyes Are Watching You
Their Eyes Are Watching You
Enjoy a leisurely walk with a friend or spouse through a public park. They are watching. Drive a car across a toll bridge. They are watching. Ride your bicycle through busy intersections. They are watching. Enter a bus and listen to the lenses of security cameras zooming and focusing on you. They are still watching. Look forward, behind, and to your sides; notice the circular, glass eyes with variable zoom, multiple apertures, and quick shutter speeds. These are no normal human eyes. These “eyes” enable the U.S. Government—both nationally and locally--to observe, monitor, and analyze you in your daily commutes. Unfortunately, America continues to embody a dystopian society in regards to its transportation system …show more content…
Often, trust and privacy are grouped together (Macnish). Edward Snowden, former CIA contractor, exemplifies this relationship when he leaked documents revealing the mass and discrete surveillance by U.S. agencies. (“Edward Snowden”) The information he revealed raised concerns in the public, regarding the government’s lack of transparency. Many individuals became increasingly suspicious, questioning the government’s actions at “the discovery of increased surveillance, especially when [they] the surveilled party [considered themselves mostly] innocent,… [leading] to decreased levels of trust” (Macnish), in the government. The public responded defensively with the question: “Why should I trust you if you do not trust me?” (Macnish). Consequently, the response to the government’s unwarranted surveillance effectively demonstrates the relationship between privacy and trust (i.e. with increased privacy comes an increased level of trust. However, an intrusion of privacy results in decreased levels of trust.). Thus, by trivializing the citizen’s loyalty and confidence in their intentions and actions for the sake of increased surveillance and investigation, the government witnessed an angered public. The government damaged an important
Enjoy a leisurely walk with a friend or spouse through a public park. They are watching. Drive a car across a toll bridge. They are watching. Ride your bicycle through busy intersections. They are watching. Enter a bus and listen to the lenses of security cameras zooming and focusing on you. They are still watching. Look forward, behind, and to your sides; notice the circular, glass eyes with variable zoom, multiple apertures, and quick shutter speeds. These are no normal human eyes. These “eyes” enable the U.S. Government—both nationally and locally--to observe, monitor, and analyze you in your daily commutes. Unfortunately, America continues to embody a dystopian society in regards to its transportation system …show more content…
Often, trust and privacy are grouped together (Macnish). Edward Snowden, former CIA contractor, exemplifies this relationship when he leaked documents revealing the mass and discrete surveillance by U.S. agencies. (“Edward Snowden”) The information he revealed raised concerns in the public, regarding the government’s lack of transparency. Many individuals became increasingly suspicious, questioning the government’s actions at “the discovery of increased surveillance, especially when [they] the surveilled party [considered themselves mostly] innocent,… [leading] to decreased levels of trust” (Macnish), in the government. The public responded defensively with the question: “Why should I trust you if you do not trust me?” (Macnish). Consequently, the response to the government’s unwarranted surveillance effectively demonstrates the relationship between privacy and trust (i.e. with increased privacy comes an increased level of trust. However, an intrusion of privacy results in decreased levels of trust.). Thus, by trivializing the citizen’s loyalty and confidence in their intentions and actions for the sake of increased surveillance and investigation, the government witnessed an angered public. The government damaged an important