Your Personal Details And Credit Card Number example essay topic

Technology and the invasion of privacy and its effects on the criminal justice system over the last 100 years Will searching the internet for more than 5 hours on this topic I found a quote that is very appropriate it says; Subtler and more far-reaching means of invading privacy have become available to the government. Discovery and invention have made it possible for the government, by means far more effective than stretching upon the rack, to obtain disclosure in court of what is whispered in the closet. US Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandies, 1928 If Justice Brandeis could see the advances in technology, he would realize just how prophetic his statement is. He would also be appalled by the new surveillance technologies that go far beyond his wildest dreams. Now that the cold war is over, bureaucracy has little do but track us from the cradle to the grave, from your bank accounts to the bedroom. Several of the technologies created by the defense dept. have begun to creep into law enforcement, various civilian agencies and private companies.

The laws on the books are old in comparison and unable to protect us from violation of our rights. I the old west there was no system to keep track of criminals. If someone was wanted he picture was posted with a reward. If convicted he was sentenced to what the judge felt was appropriate. In the early 60's surveillance and tracking was a slow tedious process of manual and / or clerical work. To trace a person's activities you had to physically follow them, or search through volumes of card files.

It was necessary to contact every one your suspect came in contact with. to learn his habits. Electronic surveillance was on a one to one basis if your dept was lucky enough to have it. As an example, it took 500,000 east Germansecretinformers and 10,000 transcribers just to listen in on it's citizens conversations. Computers capable of storing large amounts of data have revolutionized the world of surveillance. The law enforcement benefits are enormous, and been able to expand their reach and efficiency. Will technology was expanding private business was also researching it " sues.

Huge companies offering credit cards, telephone service, banking and many began to use computers with massive storage capacity. In this day and age information on every person in the developed world stored in several if not hundreds of computers. Your information is collected, analyzed and disseminated to... With computer net works, the net and links, it is possible now to track everyone with a single identification number, your social security number. With your specific identifier everything about you can be instantly available. Because medical, dental, financial and general information is stored in the databases, a great deal of detail about you is readily available.

Laws in effect make it difficult to regulate invasion of privacy as information travels from state to state or across international borders. Through the use of computers, finger prints, ID cards and data matching. Tracking these items allows the government, business be selective in all processes affecting you. Intrusive technologies generally fit into three categories; surveillance, identification, and networking. when used together as with biometrics and ID cards or video and face recognition, a large segment of the population is being out knowledge or consent. In a very real sense, what the east Germans only dreamed about is becoming a reality here in the United States. ID technologies have advanced at a vary rapid rate.

Use of the Social Security Number as ID is rampant. Created in 1938 it was touted as a non-identification number. It wasn't supposed to be used to identify a person. Today you are lost with out it. Id cards are almost a necessity in today's society. California drivers license is now imprinted with all of your vital statistics.

In some states this includes a finger print or a processing chip to allow instant access to reading devices. In some countries the populations required to carry cards that have all of their information imprinted in the magnetic strip. With this card the government can track the every individual and their habits. In Europe smart cards are being used that can hold several pages of information. Inthe U.S. optical technology is being used that can hold hundreds of pages a single chip. An example of this is Florida health care company that has issued it's customers with a card that contains complete medical histories including-rays.

Once imputed into a computer the information can be shared with computers anywhere. Utah and other states are considering a smart card to cover all government services, Like DMV, welfare and all government functions. Cards are getting smarter. Active badges used in high tech companies transmit their location and can track the whereabouts of the wearer.

Law enforcement in portable radios. Biometrics is another form of technological advance. In the late 19th century agencies began to track unique individual characteristics such as fingerprints. Some states now require finger printing for many government services. Modern technology fingerprints and made them recognizable in an instant. DNA tracking is now being used on prisoners.

A sample of there DNA is taken while in prison prior to release, for possible future use. The US military has also proposed collecting DNA from all soldiers to be stored for 75 years. There are no restrictions on how it can be used. Recently there was movie that used DNA to determine the entire life of humans. The DNA was used to determine job, social status, length of life and cause of death. To insure the right person was in the right spot DNA from cells (hair, skin, oils) was constantly being collected and tested.

This technology is just around the corner. All of the above technologies are non invasive and you generally are aware of its use. New technology is being refined called facial recognition and facial thermography. All that is needed to access your information is a digital camera.

You won't even know you have been scanned. Modern data bases are capable of taking scanned it to 50,000 faces a second. With closed circuit TV in almost every store Big Brother will soon be watching. When you enter a store, the sales men will know wether or not you can actually afford to purchase that new computer.

That assumes the quality of information keeps pace with the quantity of information. Advanced technologies now have the ability to see through walls, track movement. Blood can be found with lasers under painted walls. You are also constantly being tracked by your data trail. Micro electronics now make wireless microphones and video cameras almost undetectable. Voices can now be heard across open areas with devices that will fit into a brief case.

Satellites orbit the earth that are capable of watching you walk across the street. The list of new technologies is endless. Digital cash is being used and studied as we sit here. Digital cash as used in the movie '5 thElement' will track your movements, habits and is capable of being a listening device. It is totally controllable by the person at the terminal.

Once data is collected and linked using our unique identifies, it can be analyzed and disseminated to... the Government already has several data bases in place. The NCIC is just one example of data base with large volumes of information. The FBI is trying to get radio access to the NCIC system. Motorola is already offering wireless access to the above system and bar code scanning of drivers licenses and cameras for instant picture transmission. Potentially ever aspect of your life will soon be in a data base. Eventhough the Olsteaddecision stated wire tapping was not a search in 1928, recent decisions on computer databases and surveillance technologies has been mixed, and the Olmstead decision was overturned in 1968.

The courts have required probable cause to violate a persons privacy. However the courts generally find that your bank records, phone numbers, information is not subject to a reasonable expectation of privacy especially if held by a third party. A recent court case held that FLIR (forward looking infra red) was not an invasion of privacy because the energy that is released and detected is waste heat. Another ruled in a marijuana case that used thermal technologies to track the movement of people in the house, that the privacy of the home is not subject to the governments ability to exploit technology. I found a the list below. it says it all... A Day in the Life; Or, How to Help Build your Super File Adapted from the Privacy Commissioner's Annual Report: 1995-1996, with the permission of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Nothing to hide? That's just as well. From when we get up in the morning until we climb into bed at night, we leave a trail of data behind us - for others to collect, merge, analyze, massage and even sell, often without our knowledge or consent. And in most of Canada (except for Quebec), there is no law against it.

Here are some examples of the electronic trails we leave during day: 8: 30 a.m. - You exit your apartment parking lot Cameras, and possibly a card, record your departure. 8: 35 - Pull onto a toll highway A device records your entry and exit points, in order to send you a bill at the end of the month. 8: 42 - Caught in a traffic jam, you call work to delay a meeting Cellular phone calls can easily be intercepted, and new personal telephones will signal your whereabouts to satellites to deliver calls.

9: 17 - Enter office parking lot Card records your entry and its time; automatic cameras monitor the garage. 9: 20 - Enter main office / plant door " Swipe' cards record your comings and goings; active badges allow others to locate you anywhere in the building. 9: 25 - Log on to your computer The system records the time you logged in. 9: 29 - Send a personal e-mail to a friend, and a business message to acolleagueBoth can later be read by your employer, since simply deleting them does not erase them from the computer's hard drive. 10: 45 - Call your mother Supervisors may monitor phone calls.

11: 00 - Make a delivery using a company vehicle Many company vehicles have geo-positioning devices to plot vehicle locations; some even have 'black boxes' to record your driving habits. 12: 05 p.m. - Stop at the bank machine The system records details of your transactions, while cameras overhead orin the machine record your behaviour. 12: 10 - Buy a birthday gift for a friend Your credit card records details of the purchase, while the retailer's'loyalty card' profiles the purchase for points and directed discounts.

Banks may also use spending patterns to help assemble complete customer profiles. 12: 35 - Doctor's appointment Health cards will soon contain small computer chips to record your complete medical history on the card. The blood sample you gave contains DNA, which could be tested for a wide variety of conditions; the subsequent doctor's diagnosis may be disclosed to your insurance company, and the details sent to a centralized U.S. registry run by the insurance companies. 1: 15 - Pick up your prescription Some provinces have online drug networks which share your drug history with pharmacies across the province, and may be disclosed to police tracking drug abuse.

1: 30 - Return to work Card records your return. 2: 45 - Provide urine sample for employer's new drug testing program Reveals use of targeted drugs, though not of impairment. Sample may also reveal the use of legal drugs such as birth control pills, insulin and anti-depressants. 3: 30 - Meeting in a secure area Pass through a security check, which scans your retina to confirm identity.

5: 30 - Complete first draft of report Your computer not only records your content, but can also store information about keyboard speed, error rate, and the lengths of pauses and absences. 6: 15 - Leave the office Your exit is recorded by the computer, the entry system and the parking lot. 6: 30 - Buy groceries Your debit card records the purchase, while a loyalty card tracks your selections for marketing and targeted discounts. 6: 45 - Pick up a video The store's computer records your Social Insurance Number and viewing preferences. This may allow the store to sell your viewing preferences (say, Erotica) to other companies. 7: 20 - Listen to phone messages Your phone has recorded callers' phone numbers, and will also (unless you enter a code to block it) display your number when you call others.

8: 20 - Order clothing from catalogue The catalogue company records your personal details and credit card number, and may sell the information to database-list marketers. 8: 30 - Subscribe to a new magazine Magazines routinely sell their subscribers' lists to mass mailers. 8: 35 - Take call from a survey company Such companies gather political views, social attitudes and personal views, though some surveys are actually marketing calls to collect personal data for future sales. The legitimate surveys destroy personal identifies are processed. 8: 45 - Political canvasser comes to your door Political contributions of more than $100 (the amounts, and the party they " re contributed to) are listed in public records. 9: 10 - Log onto the Internet Your choice of chat groups and your messages can be monitored, and a profile can be assembled by anyone - including the police.

Some Web sites monitor your visits. Increasingly, living a modern urban life seems to mean there is nowhere to hide. I nour search for security and convenience, are we hitching ourselves to? The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has a full version of the 1996-1997 Annual Report online. (The 1995-96 report is also available, in a self-extracting compressed file format. ).