The U.S government along with governments all around the world have been increasing their use of government surveillance. In the US, there have been many advancements in facial recognition technology that easily recognizes and points out individuals. This technology has recently been implemented in NYC and has led to over 3,000 arrests by a computer analyzing images to identify a person. Along with this, aerial technology has been implemented and advanced in response to the BLM protest, where aerial surveillance was carried out by law enforcement to point out people in crowds. After, this technology scanned the contents of millions of social media posts, forwarding crucial information to police departments so they could track and surveil protests.
As we advance into the future, the rise of usage of people on the internet has been increasing at a drastic rate, and this has led to personal data being easier than ever to be collected online. Citizens that conduct their livelihoods online which include shopping, banking, social media, and search histories information is stored with these big companies however these companies are working with the government. Companies have been working as surveillance intermediaries to operate as a front post for U.S government agencies, giving away your data and information. These companies hold an extreme amount of power, and when responding to the government is not always for the public benefit.
With the growing number of new technologies to enhance how the government conducts surveillance, it raises questions if there can be a balance between law and respecting citizens’ privacy and rights? Future guidelines must be set for the rapidly changing technology environment.