Comments on week 11 readings

surveillance and capture are subjects quite interesting and popular these days. With the visible increase in technology everyday there are a considerable amount of people that start asking themselves questions about what it is that we are really useing and what it is that they really do. The computer, which many cannot live without anymore is the most important technology of our century. But this device can also be our enemy. As Phillip Agre mentions in his text " Two model of privacy" some elements of computers penetrate the privacy of our lives, like the web cookies. He also talks about issues like money transfers over the internet and how people were reticent at first. I learned that about 3 billions communications are monitored everyday by the Echelon watch report by the Echelon system looking for potential terrorists. I think that this mentality that the richest countries have, the mentality of being paranoiac all the time is part of a vicious circle they are in which is the reason why they would be subjects to terrorist attacks. everybody needs to calm down....look outside, the spring is coming.
back on tracks: I believe that we all deserve our privacy and that nothing should be monitored, but I have to be realistic and say that without SOME monitoring our world will be completly different today, maybe in a good way but the stakes at play are really too high to try. Like it was said in one of the article, surveillance can be useful for tracking gov money or dangerous substances, things that need to be watched over all the time but cannot physically be done. Electronic tracking can be useful then.

I read all the readings and i know exactly what they are talking about but I have a huge problem focusing and putting thoughts together and form correct and interesting sentences because the sun is shining on my face through the window and it has not happened in a long time...too long....hope you understand


link: http://reflexes.samizdat.net/article.php3?id_article=14