subject: Big Brother Monitoring Online Activities [print this page] President Barack Obama and his cabinet, as per an article in the August 2009 edition of the Washington Post, called for legislature to allow U.S. internet website greater access (through internet cookies and similar tools) to further track and monitor various online activities. If passed, this legislature would give government officials a significant increase in the amount of personal info which could be obtained. Google, however, would have been excluded from being banned from acquiring personal information of the individuals utilizing that particular search engine.
It has been reported that when people log into the white house site to view videos of presidential addresses, etc. via you tube that it is being tracked through Google, as they are not subject to any ban. However, in the same year, it was suggested that this too, would be banned.
The government responded that the ban would only apply to government websites and that third parties, such as Google, would not be effected by this ban. The theory they have put forth is that tracking those who use the site will improve customer relations as it will permit agencies to study how people are making use of their site, there had been discussion of an "opt out" choice for people visiting the site, but this has not been put into place, at this time.
Google is well-known for tracking everything that comes over its Internet site, using 'cookies'. Some sites use IP tracking which can identify where you are. Some of these sites also include nobull-ip-tracking.com/47/index.htm. Providers, including Google, keep mobile phone records and that information can be obtained anytime by the government.
Personal phone calls are noted with the number the call originated from, the number called, the date of the call, and additional information. There are records that include any person who has ever made use of their cell phone and it is information that could come back to harm a person in the future if they are not aware of it.
Under Homeland Security Rules "cookies" can be used when there is a "compelling need to gather the data on a site". Apparently this applies to any time, anyone, and any place. Being under the guise of 'big government," everything one does is now under scrutiny and this can be frightening when one thinks about it. If a neighbor, for example, reported someone as 'suspicious' that would immediately put one under suspicion, meaning that all phone calls, e-mails, and any other actions could be monitored.
The Office of Management and Budget Report includes this stipulation, quite clearly. The report was completed ten years ago and continues to be in effect. There haven't been a lot of changes regarding internet privacy and laws surrounding the use of 'cookies,' or personal privacy on the internet, and this leaves anyone who uses the internet open to possibly intense scrutiny.
When science gets ahead of good sense and individual rights, it is time to take a step back and review policies that can affect individual freedoms. Governmental access can be important in preventing acts of terrorism and catching criminals quickly, but when others without the need gain access to personal information it becomes time for individuals to stand united and make their discontent known. Policies that were put in place over 10 years ago need to be reviewed and changed in order to protect the rights of those who use technology.
