Division of Government Double Standards
Jun 30th, 2006 by Brian A. Thomas
So let me get this straight. The government, thanks to the stupid anti-American Patriot Act, can spy on you and wiretap you without a warrant. They can now search homes without announcing themselves, although for the moment they normally need a warrant… the normally part is an indicator that warrants might go the way of the Dodo bird.
However, if you have a home security system with cameras, and you use said camera in a complaint against the police, you will instead be arrested for violating wire-tap laws for recording the officer at your home without permission. (Story)
This has got to be the most asinine thing I have heard in ages.
I think Brin gets this situation pretty much right in The Transparent Society. From the Wikipedia page’s summary of his point:
“He argues that true privacy will be lost in the ‘transparent society’; however, we have the choice between one that offers the illusion of privacy by restricting the power of surveillance to authorities, or one that destroys that illusion by offering everyone access (including the ability to watch the watchers).”