History

I will start out my blog with a brief history of surveillance technology. There has always been a desire to gain knowledge about others through investigative means. When asked, there is no real 100 percent way of seeing if someone is telling the truth. Concrete evidence is the only way to prove something one way or another. Dating back to the beginning of time, people have been given jobs to watch over others in order to be a witness in case something goes wrong. For example, prison guards watch over inmates to make sure fights don’t start up, prohibit them from scheming, or to prohibit them from escaping. Guard towers were invented to make this job easier. Although the invention of the guard tower is not seen as a technological advance in surveillance, it is similar in the way that it makes the job of surveillance of inmates easier and more effective.

Many different entities have the need for surveillance, such as the government, companies, and individual persons.
The purpose of government is to protect the well being and rights of its citizens. Surveillance can be an effective tool in helping government achieve that goal. The problem is that at the same time surveillance can help government protect its people, it can violate the privacy and fundamental rights of individuals and companies alike. The issue between surveillance technology and privacy rights is one of the hot button issues of today’s world, and will be discussed further in subsequent blog entries.