Papers, Please! Part 3
Are we headed toward a military state?
The stories about passports, technology and privacy just keep on coming. And, they seem to be picking up speed! Well, maybe we’re just headed toward a world government. At least, to hear how people are talking about sharing international data on travelers and passorts, electronically, of course, to try and combat terrorism. Thankfully, according to this article on Wired News, there are already people who are concerned about the implications. It really feels like we’re headed toward the death of privacy on a global scale. There is more and more talk every day about government agencies and international governments sharing data on criminals and suspected criminals. And, frankly, that’s the part that bothers me.
Is it right or just to tag someone as a potential risk and then pass that information to every law enforcement agency in the world? What constitutes a risk? Is the criteria the same in the United States as it is in, say, the United Emirates? Is having information about crime and criminal activity carried out by a third party a “warning sign” that someone may be dangerous? (If so, I better get rid of all those old 2600 Magazines and those text files from my hard drive!)
Now, I don’t plan on travelling internationally any time soon, but how long will it be before they start doing the same thing with driver’s licenses? I mean, wouldn’t it be nice to track people who’ve had DUI convictions with an RFID tag on their license? How long before I have to show my internal passport to buy gas because it might be used as a bomb? And, if you’re thinking, “But that could never happen here!”, remember, that’s what they said in Nazi Germany, too.
So, even though I’m a fairly conservative guy, politically, I like the fact that the ACLU is out there looking out for my freedoms. I may not agree with everything they fight for, but I still think they’re a good check and balance.
Know your rights. Know what they’re trying to take away from you, and fight for what you believe.
