Privacy vs Security

Holcomb, Bakerlaar, and Zizzamia's essay The Internet in the Aftermath of the World Trade Center Attack addresses the issue of security vs. privacy, and how the use of the web for information and communication can be beneficial in many ways, but it also can be used as a tool for hackers, scammers, and terrorists.

This essay talks about the tragedy of 9/11 and how the Internet was finally able to do what it was invented to do in the 1960's, which was to communicate fast and effectively to government officials across the country, during a national emergency. During 9/11 people were able to communicate via Internet and cellphones to inquire about a missing loved one, or victims were able to let loved ones know they were alive, and sadly some to say one last good-bye. This reminds me of the recent Haiti disaster and how the parents of a college student was on a trip to Haiti with her class. The student was able to notify them by e-mail, and though her parents did not speak to her they were comforted to know she was alive, rather than waiting by the phone or to be notified.

Following 9/11 new websites specifically for donations sprung up everywhere. Sites such as Red Cross raised the funds needed for the 9/11 relief within 2 months. The same occurred with the recent Haiti crisis. We now have ways to donate money by simply texting the number for "Help Haiti". On the other hand, hackers and scammers are using these disasters to try to make a buck, by putting up false donation sites, as well as, text scams to lure victims in.

The issue of privacy vs. security is a tricky topic because we all want access to information. If we are not careful we can be taken advantage of or our information provided over the web can be used against us. In an age where we carry mobile devices that can reveal our location, which can be very helpful for navigation. This same technology unfortunately can be easy used in the future by terrorists to correlate another attack. It's becoming increasingly harder and harder to protect our individual privacy, as well as, our national security.