In preparing this paper, I struggled with how to approach the topic of privacy and security, both as singular issues and as to how one relates to the other. There are many strong arguments that privacy is being traded off for the sake of security. However, rather than looking at it as being “traded off”, we must instead look at the necessity of such measures in this changing world of technology. As a country and society, we must change with the times. Supporting the belief that the government’s agenda is in the best interest of its citizens as it relates to the need to compromise privacy may be optimistic. Nonetheless, in order to give people what they want, expect, and are entitled to, a redefining of privacy …show more content…
In my opinion, you cannot pick and choose between these two. We are all aware, for the most part, that by way of being on Facebook or having an Instagram account, we have consented to the release of some matters of privacy. Ideally, every person that subscribes to these uses of technology should fully educate themselves about the consequences relating to privacy, however much these terms may be in fine print, which is why “when [technology] invades our privacy, the invasion is usually the result of a conscious choice” (Garfinkel). Where I struggle with the concession of privacy and remains a huge gray area is when this private data is used for profit or marketing related motives and then becomes a matter of a completely different end result (i.e. unsolicited …show more content…
This is the physical “ownership” of one’s identity by way of fingerprint, face, or voice recognition and is a beneficial tool for curbing identity fraud. Biometrics could be of service in the case of someone assuming a new identity to escape prior crime or reputation, fraudulent activity such as tax refunds, using fake IDs and fake information, parents shirking financial obligations to their children by way of changes in their identity or situation, or hiring child abusers and sex offenders in school settings due to false identity. All of these examples validate the use of biometrics and, furthermore, why this “breach of privacy” should be considered for the sake of public interest and safety. The notion that a person could create a new identity for themselves expecting to escape the consequences seems far less plausible with biometrics in place. If not for the crime it could prevent, support biometrics for the money the United States could save, given a total of “between $47 billion to $56 billion per year” is spent on the above examples (assumedly based on statistics in 1999). One cannot ignore the opportunity biometrics offers in preventing criminals from undermining the system, especially when there is only a small compromise needing to be made for an improvement in safety and