It has been reported that the US government has been engaged in mass surveillance of users all over the world. Known as a the PRISM surveillance program, the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been continuously monitoring each and every content with the help of super computers in tracking and tracing your audio, video, photographs, emails, documents, and connection logs. The best example of the PRISM is the wiki leaks that shocked the world with the revelation of information that were strategically planned.
The surveillance is done in association of major leading webs portals like Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, and Apple. The organization have been compelled to disclose all the information with regards to the national security.
The Internet Society in its press release says, "The recent revelations regarding the apparent scope of U.S. government efforts to gather large amounts of end user information from U.S. Internet and telecom service providers for intelligence purposes. We are deeply concerned that the unwarranted collection, storage and potential correlation of user data will undermine many of the key principles and relationships of trust upon which the global Internet has been built. The impact of this action is not limited to U.S. users or companies, but has implications for Internet users around the globe.While government plays an important role in protecting its citizens and there is a need for better approaches to address online security, the Internet Society strongly believes that real security can only be realized within a broader context of trust and the respect of fundamental rights, such as privacy. The Internet Society, along with many other organizations and individuals around the world, expect governments to respect and protect the basic rights of their citizens – including the right to privacy both offline and online – as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."
Different online campaigners have been fighting against where ACCESS now writes, "Mass surveillance is a violation of universal rights. If internet companies want to protect their names and maintain the trust of their users worldwide, their CEOs must demand public answers from the US government."
The surveillance is a direct violation of your right to privacy. Right to Privacy is a human right and an element of various legal traditions which may restrain both government and private party action that threatens the privacy of individuals.
Conclusion:
This is a serious issue not just at individual level but it marks its presence and essence according to the level of information used and intention that is involved. As the right to privacy not only secures the right of one’s weakness but it also makes the subject vulnerable at different level of how that information can be and will be used.
Like such this is a more broad perspective of internet dynamics where all stakeholders need to play part. The role and objective of the surveillance cannot be justified in any name. Moreover tracking information certainly has its own justification but the use and intentions cannot be justified.
The role and objective of the internet governance needs to be well adapted here with the perspective of standardization or else its just the wrong use of power by the United states
In fact its high time to take stand for what has been going on. Compromising privacy in the name of security is not just a malpractice of ethics but further revelation have conformed US was directly hacking the Chinese computers knowing their technology and strategies. Anything and everything is possible, which cannot be imagined, the consequences depend upon the intentions of the US and the objective of why this surveillance has been set up. Lapse of right of privacy not only make us weak and vulnerable but it is a weak practice of internet governance that showcases weak moral values……………
From National security to cyber warfare the strategy of the US seems very clear about penetrating the cyber world in the name of national security and gaining the top hand position manipulating and working its operations.
Today’s world, war is not about how many fighter planes, tanks and nuclear missiles you have, today’s war is about, how you can control your enemy’s strategy entering or hacking your opponents system and making them obsolete knowing their strategy.