Cell Phones and Privacy

While governments in some countries have debated ending prepaid phone services because they enable criminals from avoiding law enforcement, I still think that they are necessary.  Many people use prepaid cell phones because they are cheaper than phones that have a plan, it is more convenient than having a plan (no commitment), minutes roll over, there are no hidden fees, you don't need any credit to get a prepaid phone, etc.  Prepaid cell phones should not be banned for these reasons.  However, I could understand if they were controlled by law somehow.  It would make sense to force users to register prepaid cell phones (to prevent criminals from avoiding the law), but it would only be fair to do that as long as people still had the freedoms I mentioned before that come along with using a prepaid cell phone. 

Location Tracking

Some people have suggested implanting computer chips into children to track them if they get lost, the same way that veterinarians do for pets and animals.  I think that this is an awful idea.  People are already capable of tracking us by way of our phones and computers, but this would absolutely breach our privacy rights and weaken our security.  Children would be completely trackable, and therefore have no privacy.  However, it doesn't stop there.  Who would be able to track these children?  People who are smart (and scary) enough could track them and this could facilitate kidnapping and murders. Your child would never be safe, and his or her identity and location would never be private.  The ability to track a lost child is not worth the risk of losing your child in the first place.  Sure, you could then easily track a kidnapped child, but what happens when it is too late? What happens when that chip is what got the kid kidnapped to begin with?  I think this is a scary concept, and sure parents may have the right to implant these chips, but I don't think it is wise.  I don't think it is a good idea for teenagers either.  That is what good parenting is for.  Provide your teenagers with a cell phone, a curfew, rules, open dialogue, etc.  Don't place a chip in them that makes them trackable to any stranger.  I think this is scary stuff, and there is no way that I would support it if there was a bill in Congress to require ID chips in children under the age of five.  As far as tracking seniors who are forgetful or who have alzheimers, I can definitely see the benefits.  However, I still believe that this is wrong, unless the adult gives permission (while in a healthy state before alzheimers) for a chip to be implanted under this condition.

Living in a Networked World

Hello everyone,

This is my blog for a course called Living in a Networked World: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (CS408).  We're exploring how technology, particularly the internet and the World Wide Web, affects the way we live.  Just in the first few weeks I've discovered that there are two sides to the coin of technology.  While there are many benefits, there are also many negative ramifications.  I'm excited for more discussions and debates regarding these issues and topics.  I'm especially interested in how social media affects our happiness. Does it make us compare our lives to the lives of others? Does it make us feel like we are missing out on something? Do we feel disconnected without it?  I'm not so sure we can answer these questions definitively, but it is still intriguing to think about and to discuss.