There was a time when something that you did in public could be done with some expected anonymity. With the proliferation of cell phone cameras for pictures and video, those days are gone. Now, there’s another aspect to public actions that takes our lack of privacy to a whole new level. What is that? None other than social media.
Now before you get all riled up, don’t get me wrong. I don’t condone the violence that was performed by the Laker’s victory “celebration” in the streets of LA. I think that the people who performed such criminal activity should be punished – if and when they are caught. It’s the method used to catch them that has me concerned.
As it turns out, LAPD is scouring social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to find pictures and videos of the violence that took place, and using this information to track down the offenders. Intent on following this task through to the end, they say they’ve already got 46 people in custody and it could take months to round up the rest.
Although it is a valiant effort and I understand the motivation behind it, the opportunity for abuse is clear. Think for a minute about this quote from one of the officers on this particular task force:
In the age of phone cameras and digital video devices, it has in essence deputized the public in fighting. It has added to the maxim that police are the public and the public are the police. – Lt. Paul Vernon
Now I may be in the minority on this, but doesn’t it concern you just a wee bit that the police are actually encouraging this neighborly spying behavior? I just think that as we continue to progress in the digital age, our freedoms are slowly slipping away. I fear that one day we may awake to find we have no freedoms left at all.
I know you all don’t agree with me (maybe even the majority disagree). So sound off! What are your thoughts on this?
