Summary
The main question is if privacy is possible at a time where terrorism and cybercrime in general are flurishing and are becoming alternatives for established groups and individuals. Law enforcement, intelligence and DOD agencies need to have ways to intercept communications on all levels of technologies that support data and voice/video communications to prevent possible attacks and crimes taking place. The question remains in how far they should be allowed to tap any type of communications and how much proof they need to get to get a go ahead from higher levels in the hierarchy. Government snooping on citizens is one thing but when it also is starting to get used by corporations and other organizations it will certainly get out of hand. Guarding productivity is one thing, but monitoring employees or citizens for that on a 24 x 7 level raises questions about our whole society.
Analysis
Being part of a global network, interconnected with each other, that not only provides us with Internet but also with Telephony and other services inevitably causes the risk of information leakage. Privacy related information in particular is very prone to leakage.
Peer to Peer solutions that provide file sharing between people has dramatically risen over the years and spilling information without knowing it happens on a regular basis. Credit ratings, invoices, electrical maps of buildings, credit card and banking information are usually shared without knowing it.
The use of such technologies in combination with viri, back doors and Trojans are also known to be used by certain law enforcement agencies in the US Germany and the UK and certainly isn't restricted to only them. Legislation covers privacy but there always are exceptions and short cuts are taken when there is reasonable doubt and speedy action is required.
Tapping of telephone conversations has been around for decades, snooping through email, Instant Messaging communication, file sharing and such have been going on for a couple years. Either from the local system by planting software bugs or by sniffing / analyzing network traffic on the backbone at the service provider. Mobile phone tapping ditto.
Companies use social networking sites to find out more about job applicants for jobs or employees that are already on the pay roll, for whatever reason. Using that information can be not only used against employees or prevent applicants to get a job but could be used by competitors to tarnish the image of the company or organization.
Preventing data leakage or peeking is near impossible. Staying of these social networking sites is one thing but usually it is to late when someone is already on. A lot of the information on these sites will leak to other blogs and websites and can not simply be taken offline. Some of my questions I posted in 1992 are still floating around on the Internet.
Misuse and abuse of personal information, tapping and snooping on people online or through telephone communications is something we have to live with as personally it will be near impossible to turn back that clock. Legislation against the improper use of these actions by government agencies and organisations is the only thing we can hope for that will prevent breaking down privacy all together.
ISP's, Hosting and other service providers like phone companies will have to comply with legislation but if that legislation is not followed by agencies it is useless. Today in a European newspaper it said that two big European Cell providers gave information consisting of SMS / text messages to law enforcement agencies without a court order. That is against legislation but still is done to prevent possible repercussions.
Big brother has been around for decades and will only grow and get more specialized in obtaining that information they need to confirm or deny possible suspicions. I guess we do have to live with the facts and our freedom will have to evolve in different ways.
