Nowadays mobile phones are the prime way of communication, whether it is by call or via messages. Some people are in favour of a broad control of the government on phone calls and messages, while others argue that what is discussed in these exchanges is private and should only be revealed if permission is granted. In this essay I will look into both sides and reach a conclusion.
Firstly, if authorities had access to phone interactions between everyone, criminality could be reduced. Take for example the fact that the planning of a terrorist attack or of a bank robbery are surely a difficult process that would need communication between the criminals for its organization. With strict control to suspected messages and phone calls, illegal actions could probably be prevented. Moreover, even the easier judiciary disputes could be solved faster.
On the other hand, with the widespread of the internet, laws regarding privacy were agreed to protect citizens. For instance, if the police had the right to control all the virtual conversations, the freedom would be limited and the State would go back to the time when people were incarcerated for political crimes. Everyone would always pay attention to what they are writing or saying on the phone and society would seem more as the one described in 1984 by Orwell.
To sum up, while a deep control of the governments could prevent crimes, the citizens’ rights to privacy in their conversations are of utmost importance in society. For what regards my opinion, I believe that authorities should not have the power to check every internet communication, but only upon emission of a permit.