Bonnie Alba
Americans' illusive privacy - - 'man no longer king of his castle'
By Bonnie Alba
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated."— Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
When you drive out of your garage to go to work, you enter a public world. You leave a trail behind you much as Hansel and Gretel did dropping their bread crumbs. Maybe you stop for gas, a latte, a newspaper on your way to work. All day you work in an environment which precludes privacy. You depart for home, stop at the grocery and pick up dinner, drive into your garage, the door comes down and you breathe a sign of relief — the world is out there and you are in your castle. Not quite!
Way back in 1763, Sir William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, enunciated on the right of an Englishman to be secure in his home: "The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail — its roof may shake — the wind may blow through it — the storm may enter — the rain may enter — but the King of England cannot enter; all his forces dare not cross the threshold of that ruined tenement."
Clear and concise, right? In the 20th century, the first indirect invasion of our homes arrived with the telephone. Earliest phone lines were shared with up to four different homes. For the first time, a person did not actually have to be physically present to engage in a conversation with you. Eavesdropping occurred when the nosy neighbor, sharing your phone line, listened to supposedly private conversations.
I learned about a form of security in the 1950s. While shopping, I asked my mother what all those mirrors near the ceiling and covering the length of the store were for. Her reply, "There are people up there watching to see if anyone takes something without paying for it."
Jump to 1977 where a college professor pointed out to his class that it was then possible to pinpoint a spot on earth from a satellite and zoom in and read the time on a person's wristwatch. Today's technology is much more sophisticated. There's a heat-seeking instrument which when aimed at a building will show live body images and where they are located inside. Then there's the staple of businesses and police — using cameras to catch criminals. Houston, TX, Chief of Police Harold Hurtt has requested "surveillance cameras on downtown streets, apartment complexes and shopping malls — and in extreme situations, private homes." Private homes?
Privacy issues always arise during times of war. The War on Islamic Terror has revealed that big government may act against our notions of privacy in defense of national security. This is nothing new during war. As far back as the Civil War, Pres. Abe Lincoln ordered intercepts of telegraph wire messages on suspicion of enemy communications. Now it's electronic surveillance and its legality.
The 21st century promises to expunge all privacy rights. With succeeding technological and progressive jumps, we've come a long way from "Man is King of his castle." Modern technology has made strides in the development of instruments and methods to which our private lives are open to public examination.
The modern world has entered our homes via cell phones, computers, fax machines and televisions which may be connected to our phones and computers. Our personal information, medical, insurance, financial and tax records are no longer guaranteed safe and secure.
The newest technology called Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) uses tiny microchips to track items (or people) from a distance. I refer you to the book "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID" by Liz McIntyre and Katherine Albrecht. Each chip might be used by businesses and government to track anything around the world.
The Department of Homeland Security has shown interest in RFID and under the "Real ID Act" which passed last year, "the DHS has the power to set uniform national driver's license standards." Europe is already experimenting with microchips implanted in children. Shades of Orwell!
Is it possible that the U.S. Census of 2020 will just scan our drivers' licenses to know all they want to know about us? No longer clear and concise, we're left with many questions as to what really constitutes "privacy" for 21st century Americans. How long before Big Government outgrows the U.S. Constitution and takes over our lives completely?
One sure thing, the illusion that "A Man's home is his Castle" will fade into history as we allow government technology to live in our homes. Orwell's "Big Brother" will have arrived.
© Bonnie Alba
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated."
When you drive out of your garage to go to work, you enter a public world. You leave a trail behind you much as Hansel and Gretel did dropping their bread crumbs. Maybe you stop for gas, a latte, a newspaper on your way to work. All day you work in an environment which precludes privacy. You depart for home, stop at the grocery and pick up dinner, drive into your garage, the door comes down and you breathe a sign of relief — the world is out there and you are in your castle. Not quite!
Way back in 1763, Sir William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, enunciated on the right of an Englishman to be secure in his home: "The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail — its roof may shake — the wind may blow through it — the storm may enter — the rain may enter — but the King of England cannot enter; all his forces dare not cross the threshold of that ruined tenement."
Clear and concise, right? In the 20th century, the first indirect invasion of our homes arrived with the telephone. Earliest phone lines were shared with up to four different homes. For the first time, a person did not actually have to be physically present to engage in a conversation with you. Eavesdropping occurred when the nosy neighbor, sharing your phone line, listened to supposedly private conversations.
I learned about a form of security in the 1950s. While shopping, I asked my mother what all those mirrors near the ceiling and covering the length of the store were for. Her reply, "There are people up there watching to see if anyone takes something without paying for it."
Jump to 1977 where a college professor pointed out to his class that it was then possible to pinpoint a spot on earth from a satellite and zoom in and read the time on a person's wristwatch. Today's technology is much more sophisticated. There's a heat-seeking instrument which when aimed at a building will show live body images and where they are located inside. Then there's the staple of businesses and police — using cameras to catch criminals. Houston, TX, Chief of Police Harold Hurtt has requested "surveillance cameras on downtown streets, apartment complexes and shopping malls — and in extreme situations, private homes." Private homes?
Privacy issues always arise during times of war. The War on Islamic Terror has revealed that big government may act against our notions of privacy in defense of national security. This is nothing new during war. As far back as the Civil War, Pres. Abe Lincoln ordered intercepts of telegraph wire messages on suspicion of enemy communications. Now it's electronic surveillance and its legality.
The 21st century promises to expunge all privacy rights. With succeeding technological and progressive jumps, we've come a long way from "Man is King of his castle." Modern technology has made strides in the development of instruments and methods to which our private lives are open to public examination.
The modern world has entered our homes via cell phones, computers, fax machines and televisions which may be connected to our phones and computers. Our personal information, medical, insurance, financial and tax records are no longer guaranteed safe and secure.
The newest technology called Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) uses tiny microchips to track items (or people) from a distance. I refer you to the book "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID" by Liz McIntyre and Katherine Albrecht. Each chip might be used by businesses and government to track anything around the world.
The Department of Homeland Security has shown interest in RFID and under the "Real ID Act" which passed last year, "the DHS has the power to set uniform national driver's license standards." Europe is already experimenting with microchips implanted in children. Shades of Orwell!
Is it possible that the U.S. Census of 2020 will just scan our drivers' licenses to know all they want to know about us? No longer clear and concise, we're left with many questions as to what really constitutes "privacy" for 21st century Americans. How long before Big Government outgrows the U.S. Constitution and takes over our lives completely?
One sure thing, the illusion that "A Man's home is his Castle" will fade into history as we allow government technology to live in our homes. Orwell's "Big Brother" will have arrived.
© Bonnie Alba
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