Mobile phones have become the number one source of global connectivity and staying up-to-date. Although many have a firm faith in the privacy of one another and their calls and messages, many also believe that the government should keep track of said information for safety concerns. Here, both the judgements will be discussed starting with the pro-government belief followed by the idea that everyone’s privacy should be respected. In my opinion, the call and message logs should be kept in the shadows from the government as it poses threat to data leaks.
Safety of the common man is the number one concern of any country’s government. Many measures are taken to ensure the proper following of laws in the country through various means like the police and law agencies. Cyber crime relatively being a newer crime type, the government has to ensure policing of these wireless devices. This includes monitoring of the people’s phone and messaging history. For example, the New York government was able to prevent a terrorist act back in 2016 by listening to the call records of a seemingly innocent civil worker. This act by the government ended up saving the lives of thousands of people by what might have been the history’s deadliest terrorist attack.
However, it is important to note that an inidividual’s privacy is also vital for everyone. If there is a government officer constantly listening to our conversations and reading our messages, it may become difficult for people to properly express themselves to their loved ones knowing they won’t be the only ones listening to it. For example, the case in Hong Kong got viral when a man was planning an anniversary surprise for his wife when all of a sudden, the police barged in their house because the husband had jokingly texted someone that he’s gonna bomb up the place. (which he originally meant that the party is going to turn out to be the best) This ended up ruining the husband’s surprise for his spouse as he had to spend his anniversary giving explanations about an innocent joke on his anniversary night.
In summary, both the point of views hold importance in their own specific way. That being said, I would like to restate my opinion that a person’s privacy holds vital importance and that the government can find alternative ways to ensure safety in the cyber world.