POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL PRIVACY

In the age of technology, tracking and surveillance technologies are highly popular among users as well as government officials due to their potential applications. However, the situation may change as more and more state government tend to exploit the access to sensitive personal information through the private and state databases to enhance its intelligence capabilities. Thus, the development of surveillance technologies poses a serious danger to the universal human rights to freedom and privacy.

The rapid development of technology has led to the growing popularity of the self-tracking devices and applications allowing the collection, monitoring, and storage of personal data. A great variety of available self-tracking devices including clip-on cameras, wristbands, headbands with sensors enable the automatic record of user’s movements and biometrical data such blood pressure, level of sugar, temperature, and heart rate. Reportedly, the main purpose of such devices is not only self-surveillance and collection of data, but also the strong encouragement to change the user’s behavior based on the received information. Thus, technological innovation allows the users to control, monitor, and use the derived data for personal purposes by letter of recommendation writing service. The digital technology essentially enables people to preserve the history of their lives for the later use.

While Big Data permits the collection of a large amount of data, the tracking and surveillance technologies pose a risk to human privacy. Many state governments tend to use the collections data to monitor civilians. Under the pretext of maintaining the national security, the American, Canadian, and British agencies acquire the user data collected by other corporations including telephone, internet, and web companies. For example, the NSA uses the program Co-Traveler to map the users’ cell phone relations with the help of complex mathematical sequences in order to identify the potential associates of foreign intelligence targets at home. Although the technological advancement may play an instrumental role in the elimination of potential threats to the domestic security, it poses a challenge to the universal concept of privacy. While the private lives of many people become increasingly transparent to a number of organizations, there is no way to know and what data will be utilized. The assertions clearly refer to the danger of privacy invasion as the state governments have secured an unlimited access to the private sensitive data. Modern surveillance technology enabled the state agencies to establish an unprecedented level of control over populations.

The Chinese Social Credit System is the vivid exemplification of the controversial issue. By 2020, the Chinese government seeks to launch the mandatory surveillance system that will enable the central authorities to rank their 1,3-billion population according to its level of trustworthiness. While the system will enable the collection of personal information from the multiplicity of corporations, insurance companies, banks, and travel agencies among others, it is likely to limit the freedom of movement and expression of the Chinese civilians. The fear of persecution in a form of the restricted rights to mobility and travelling, the educational and job opportunities resulting from the low ratings will compel the Chinese people to monitor their online activities with greater attention. Thus, the Social Credit System provides the state government with the effective control mechanism allowing the identification and elimination of any threat to the current regime. Such an approach to the maintenance of public security may be considered the impairment of individual privacy and, consequently, decrease the level of trust toward the state governments.

In conclusion, Big Data practices such as the Chinese Social Credit System will present a serious challenge to the human rights to freedom and privacy. While this technological advancement appears to an effective data collection strategy, it will be met by public discontent. The further study of the question under discussion will help to identify the far-reaching political, economic, and social implications of technological progress.