Law enforcement has a difficult job in preventing and responding to crime.
Agencies and officers of the government are dedicated to protecting
citizens and communities, especially from heinous crimes like terrorism.
Information about people helps them do this.
There are few incentives, if any, that countervail the tendency law enforcement
has to collect large amounts of information and maintain a strong information-collection
arsenal. This unfortunately sometimes causes law enforcement to slip beyond
watching out for crime, into monitoring citizens and the public for
evidence. This crosses a well-established line into unlawful surveillance.
New technologies have dramatically increased the ability of law enforcement
to monitor the comings and goings of citizens. Technology dominates the list
of threats to privacy from government surveillance.
Links:
Comments? comments@privacilla.org
(Subject: Surveillance)
[updated 9/27/00]
