Privacy vs. security One of the biggest changes we are seeing over the past few years is the ability for technology to be used to spy on us. From spyware on our computers to the ever-present video camera, technology is quickly eroding our ability to remain anonymous. Some say that we are losing our privacy but gaining security. In this post-9/11 world, the ability to identify an individual quickly and accurately is becoming of paramount importance. But at what cost?

In The Transparent Society David Brin writes that we have no choice: our privacy is quickly disappearing. The question then becomes, who controls this technology and the information it creates? Brin gives two possibilities: 1) the government or 2) the public. His book makes the case for possibility #2 as the best solution. I tend to agree: this kind of power in the hands of the government can only lead to abuse and loss of freedom.

Interestingly, when I present this concept to my MIS students, most all of them prefer possibility #1. Apparently, the type of student who comes to Biola has a deep trust of the government. These students were 13 or 14 when Bush was first elected. I wonder how students at, say, Berkeley, would feel? I wonder how my students would respond if Kerry had been elected president? Imagine if, someday, they were to begin tracking down Christians...  ¶ 10:25 PM 2 comments