Ted Talk: Christopher Soghoian

In a Ted Talk with Christopher Soghoian, the idea that surveillance systems on personal communication devices lack security and are too susceptible to outside observation are deliberated. While wiretapping and hacking could almost be considered commonplace in today’s world, the notion that cell phone companies have steadily ingrained easy-to-use surveillance properties into their devices may not be beneficial to society as a whole.

Soghoian acknowledges that there are many outside forces such as terrorists and foreign government agents that would be more difficult to catch without the existence of our easily monitored networks, but at the same time raises the point that there is no such technology specifically intended for illegal activity. People all around the world use these communication devices, and when not securely encrypted to protect your data, not only are the terrorists’ information easily accessed but every user of that technology. Recently, Silicon Valley tech companies have put a greater emphasis on encryption into our communication devices, and providing free avenues for protected messaging, the example used in the Ted Talk was Apple’s iMessage feature.

My standpoint on the matter is that the availability of some of our information is pertinent to national security in certain cases. That being said, the privacy of the individual should not be disregarded and put in low priority for the sake of the federal government to catch a handful of criminals. While some invasions of privacy may be warranted, but from an objective standpoint, such instances do not justify infringement on privacy rights to the American citizen. To monitor our personal affairs without cause would undoubtedly influence, negatively so, the freethought of the individual. Such a reality parallels an Orwellian dystopia characterizes by “Big Brother” surveilling our day to day exchanges.

Source: https://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_soghoian_how_to_avoid_surveillance_with_the_phone_in_your_pocket?language=en
George Orwell, 1984