Assignment #5: Big Brother is watching you

The increasing surveillance by governments is a sign of today’s Western democracies. In the same way there exist proponents concerning this issue, there are opponents who fight hard against this expanding state-observation. While some people think this way of acting is necessary to save our lives and territories, others argue that surveillance leads away from freedom and the privilege of self-determination. In my opinion interventions by governments and their institutions is absolutely necessary. Of course, this means that we as the citizens cannot have the same freedom as before, but in a more important way this means that our lives are protected at the best possibility. Therefore, I agree with measures in order to preserve democracy even though they restrict my personal freedom and my own identity.
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Certainly, I think most of us who live in democratic countries have made experiences with restrictions concerning our personal freedom. For me the most common example is the situation one can observe at the airport. This is a place with total control over human beings. High security standards and of course the controls to reach this safety are the daily business. Everybody who has been flying since the 9th September 2001 knows what I mean. The happenings related to that date have enforced the aspect of safety whereby the controls increased in a dramatic way. However, what is the alternative to that? Is it more likely to get into the grip of terrorists in an airplane? Without a doubt, this is the worst-case scenario, but it still has happened. Therefore, it should be possible for everyone to let nail files and penknives out of the hand luggage – it should not be this essential. For sure it is not the best feeling concerning the fact that your personal luggage is x-rayed in the terminals, but this seems to be the lesser evil. Even if the security staff know the colour of my boxer shorts it is better than becoming the victim of terrorism.
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In order to emphasize the aspect of freedom I want to speak about an own experience I made. It was long ago in the year 2000, but the situation is still aware in my thoughts. I was participating in an school exchange organised by my German school and one in England. We travelled by bus and on our way to Great Britain we passed Belgium and France. There we took the ferry from Calais to Dover. As I have mentioned before this incident was before 9/11, but high security standards were a big issue already at that time. On this account we were completely scanned before we could enter the ferry. The security staff rifled through our personal things and documents and for us as children this situation was inconvenient as well as completely not comprehensible. It is needless to say, that you want to have a piece of privacy especially in these young years. However, some years later one can understand and comprehend the importance this measurement for the overall safety.
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In addition to that I also want to discuss the issue of data privacy protection. Undoubtedly, it is important to protect everybody’s privacy and therewith data secrecy should be a main principle. However, in my opinion there are interventions and measures that justify supervising operations on the part of the state. Related to this, a popular example is the one of emails. I think that persons who have nothing to disguise need not be afraid about this point. For sure it is a strange feeling to know that third parties could read the personal massages one writes with his or her friends, the family or the life partner. However, if this can help to protect my country and me I feel a big favour for the government to do so. Similar to this is the question of genetic fingerprints. Experts and the population of the most countries argue about this topic and the fact that this is also a way to restrict our personal freedom. Once more I have to reply, that this is necessary not only regarding the danger of terrorism, but also the fact of increasing violence all over the world. According to this, the innocent citizen has nothing to suspect.

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Summing up, I think it is necessary that everybody of us give up a peace of one’s own freedom and privacy, in favour to perpetuate the overall safety. If everybody who wants to fight against the grievances on the earth follows this way, the community can gain in the same extent it loses by giving away a piece of its own integrity. That is why I think restricting the freedom of a democratic country in order to preserve democracy itself is a good measure. Notwithstanding, this requires reliable and faithful institutions which must be controlled by a ourselves regarding the danger of misuse of powers.