The Lives and Safety of Untold Numbers of Average, Essay Example

Which is more important, the lives and safety of untold numbers of average, ordinary, law-abiding citizens, or the privacy rights of criminals? The discussion topic may seem to be much more complex and nuanced than this, but in fact it is not, and demonstrating this will be the cardinal enterprise here.

So then, let us consider the features of this security system. The first feature we are informed of is the surveillance system’s capacity for capturing the “faceprints” of anybody and comparing them to suspects and to known criminals. This is scarcely more invasive than procedures currently in use for finding and catching criminals: surveillance cameras, and security personnel who can, indeed, compare faces to suspects and to known criminals. Why, when police or highway patrol stop individuals, they run the license plate numbers and the individuals’ information—to see if there are any outstanding warrants, or if the vehicle has been stolen.

Thus far, it would appear that the surveillance system in question is but little different than extant surveillance and law enforcement techniques. Are security cameras an invasion of privacy, if they are mounted on outside walls of apartment complexes, in front of ATMs, inside banks, inside airports, etc? Surely not! Now, true, this system is automatic, but so what? If anything, this is a good thing, because it is safer for all concerned—all, that is, except for the offenders and suspects, about which more will be said below. How is the system a violation of privacy, when it is simply an upgraded version of extant systems that compares faces with those of suspects and known criminals?

The system is said to have two features that are problematic and potentially invasive of privacy. The first concerns clandestine capture: capturing the faceprints of individuals without their knowledge. This is alleged to be potentially invasive of privacy, but how much of a right to privacy does someone have in an airport or bank? In the environments where these systems will be used, the safety and well-being of many will be at stake, because they are public areas. Security guards at fairs and football stadiums can ask people to empty their pockets. The TSA’s invasiveness and thoroughness has aroused disgruntlement, but it is hard to fault their results. How is clandestine capture any more invasive than extant practices, and even if it is, how much of a right does anyone have to complain about it?

The second supposedly-troubling aspect is tracking: the system can track a suspect from place to place. Well, and what of it? This is scarcely different from having many different cameras recording hours and hours of footage, and then having a human being review the footage and track a particular individual from it. Again, I am at a loss as to how this is terribly different from extant practices, except for being potentially more effective.

Finally, what does a law-abiding and upright citizen have to fear? The systems aren’t being installed in peoples’ homes, they are being installed in public places where many people already congregate. Moreover, these public places have very real security risks: terrorists and the like can potentially injure and kill many. This is why I say that the issue really comes down to the safety and well-being of many, many law-abiding citizens versus the supposed “privacy rights” of actual offenders. The privacy of law-abiding citizens is scarcely being infringed, at least, arguably, no more than it might already be.

Fundamentally, objections to such a system are unfounded. If anything, these systems should be installed absolutely anywhere and everywhere that there is a potential security risk involving the lives and safety of many. And if someone is detained due to a faulty match, it should be relatively easy for law enforcement to rectify the mistake—especially since mistaken identification does sometimes happen. All in all, this sounds like a very powerful weapon in the arsenal of law enforcement, one that will bring new and effective capacities to surveillance.