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Electronic Surveillance

 

            Electronic Surveillance: A Threat to Liberty.
             In 1984, George Orwell wrote in his futurist novel, "You had to live -- did live, from habit that became instinct -- in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized." Today, this quote holds true. Walk along a major street, look up and you will probably see cameras glaring back at you. Perhaps you will not see them, however, they are there. Electronic surveillance cameras are now being installed at street crossings, in banks, above freeways, in federal parks, and in the workplace, just to name a few. In the very near future, automatic teller machines will be able to match ones" face to his account. You as well as your actions can be recorded without prior knowledge or consent from you. Thus, infringing upon your right to privacy, and unreasonable searches and seizures.
             In January 2001, ticketholders to Super Bowl XXXV held in Tampa Bay, Florida, unwitting became victims of electronic surveillance. As fans entered the stadium, police used biometric face-recognition technology to scan their faces. Unbeknown to the fans, these images were recorded and compared to a database of known police targets such as terrorists, troublemakers, and criminals. The Fourth Amendment states, "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated." Thus, this activity raises serious concerns about and in some way contradicts the Fourth Amendment.
             Although Super Bowl XXXV was one of the first known incidents in which surveillance cameras were used to record the acts of the people in areas of public space, it was not the last. This trend rapidly began expanding across the United States, and even into foreign countries. .
             According to a study by the New York Civil Liberties Union, New York residents are secretly being videotaped on public streets, housing projects, outside buildings, and even in their backyards, through the use of hidden surveillance cameras.


Essays Related to Electronic Surveillance

1. Is Electronic Surveillance At The Workplace The Iron Cage?

In the last few years, electronic surveillance at the workplace has skyrocketed. ... Electronic surveillance is a relatively new concept and practice. ... Electronic surveillance is widely used in the contemporary U.S workplace. ... Another indicator of the rise is the increasing sales of electronic surveillance equipment. ... Employers have several reasons for utilizing electronic surveillance systems. ...

  • Word Count: 2947
  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Concepts of State Surveillance

State surveillance in terms of government and law enforcement deals with legal or illegal spying physically but mainly electronically. ... Another use of state surveillance can be found in schools whereby surveillance is used to monitor deviant behavior and criminal acts that may occur by students or even teachers. ... Electronic surveillance could be considered much more invasive than a physical search because it is in fact much a great deal easier for government agents to perform this type of surveillance. ... Making state surveillance both ethical and effective State surveillance is freque...

  • Word Count: 2114
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Workplace Surveillance

Workplace surveillance has become increasingly popular over the past few years, and there are now numerous methods that can be used to monitor employees, these include: Hidden Cameras; Keyboard Monitoring (counting keystrokes, eg. data-entry); Undercover Workers (similar to spies); Telephone and Email Monitoring; Monitored Web Use; and Monitoring Staff Locations (electronic locators). ... In the United States, courts tend to favour the employer in workplace surveillance cases. ... While worker privacy is clearly one of' the major issues in electronic monitoring, it does no...

  • Word Count: 1731
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is an Act of Congress passed in 1978 and signed by the then President Jimmy Carter. The Act stipulates the procedures to be followed when obtaining intelligence from foreign powers and agents of foreign powers both physically and electronically. ... This paper will analyze the provisions of The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as well as the pro and cons that come along with it. ... This provision gives authority to the security agencies to use a single court order to wiretap all the electronic devices of one individual. ... The provision...

  • Word Count: 1649
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Incarceration Sentences

Programs such as the Intensive Surveillance/Supervision Program (ISSP) and Electronic Monitoring/Home Confinement Program were instituted to help combat the numerous problems associated with parole. ... The ISSP imposes strict conditions including, frequent weekly contacts with the parole officer, periodic urine monitoring and occasionally electronic surveillance, upon the offender (Keels 43). ... Another program that works to combat high recidivism rates in parolees is the Electronic Monitoring/Home Confinement Program (EM/HC). The New Jersey Department of Corrections initiated this progra...

  • Word Count: 351
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Fourth Amendment

The FBI attached an electronic recorder onto the outside of the public phone booth. ... Justice Stewart's feelings on the case were that the use of electronic surveillance should be regulated. He thinks permission should be granted for the use of electronic surveillance. ... There are strict requirements for electronic surveillance. Warrants now have to be specified for the use of electronic devices ...

  • Word Count: 1079
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Privacy

The FBI attached an electronic recorder onto the outside of the public phone booth. ... Justice Stewart's feelings on the case were that the use of electronic surveillance should be regulated. He thinks permission should be granted for the use of electronic surveillance. ... There are strict requirements for electronic surveillance. Warrants now have to be specified for the use of electronic devices....

  • Word Count: 1082
  • Approx Pages: 4

8. Employee Privacy in the Wired Workplace

Although companies often have legitimate concerns that lead them to monitor employees' Internet usage "from expensive security breaches to reduced productivity" the benefits of electronic surveillance are outweighed by its costs to employees' privacy and autonomy. While surveillance of employees is not a new phenomenon, electronic surveillance allows employers to monitor workers with unprecedented efficiency. ... The difference, Lane argues, between these old methods of data gathering and electronic surveillance involves quantity: "Technology makes it possible for employers to ...

  • Word Count: 1243
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Graduate

9. On Fear and Freedom

Title III generally prohibits electronic eavesdropping on telephone conversations, face-to-face conversations, or computer and other forms of electronic communications, 18 U.S.C. 2511" (www.fas.org). But it did give authorities a narrowly defined process for electronic surveillance to be used as last resort in serious criminal case, but the law enforcement authorities must show a "probable cause" before being granted the warrant. After the September 11 terrorist attack congress felt that Title III came "replete with instructions describing the permissible scope of the surveillance as well as...

  • Word Count: 4175
  • Approx Pages: 17
  • Grade Level: High School