The Internet, once heralded as an unprecedented tool of democratization by enabling protesters to self-organize and collaborate on a global scale, has turned into an unparalleled system of mass surveillance. Through the courageous revelations of National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden and journalist Glenn Greenwald, we now know that “Big Brother” is watching.
Now that we recognize this underlying threat, we must act collectively and do something about it. Historically, those subject to targeted government surveillance were activists or journalists — people who are willing to go against conventions and expose corruption.
As an activist for digital rights, it bewilders me that some people, even those concerned about mass surveillance, willingly engage in extreme acts of self-deprecation when they say, “I have nothing to hide, therefore I have nothing to fear.” This argument suggests that privacy is something only criminals desire. People put blinds up on their windows for personal comfort. They’re not accused of illegal activity simply because they desire privacy in their own homes. This same standard of discretion should be applied to Internet privacy. There are many things we do and think in private — make love, talk to our physician, chat with our best friend — that we would be embarrassed if the rest of the world ever found out. Privacy is a fundamental part of a dignified life.
The “nothing to hide” argument inverts the model of responsibility for rights when it suggests that we are all suspicious until proven otherwise. Our justice system treats us all as innocent until proven guilty. In a recent interview conducted as part of the New Yorker Festival, Snowden said, “When you say, ‘I have nothing to hide,’ you’re saying, ‘I don’t care about this right.’ You’re saying, ‘I don’t have this right, because I’ve got to the point where I have to justify it.’ The way rights work is, the government has to justify its intrusion into your rights.”
Mass surveillance is not a new phenomenon, but NSA surveillance adds a new dimension: observation of our Internet use in daily life. This is especially pertinent to us as students. The Internet is where we explore our interests, make friends and create; it is where we develop our sense of self. As Greenwald said in his book “No Place to Hide,” “The Internet for most, if not all of us, is at the epicenter of our lives. It is not a separate domain where life’s functions are carried out it is the place where virtually everything is done. We stand on a historic crossroads.” As technology continues to disrupt society in the name of innovation, we need to ask ourselves the hard questions. What type of Internet do you want? I want an Internet that isn’t balkanized, or used to conduct surveillance. As Netizens we can protect ourselves by encrypting our information, using virtual private networks, and as Tim Berners-Lee suggested, demanding an Internet Bill of Rights.