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Introduction
Based on1984, it is apparent that the government is stimulated by allegiance (Orwell 3). In the book, the government mandates the public to support its ambition to oversee the greater Oceania. According to the book, being loyal to the party requires the citizens to accept the government’s directions without hesitation (Orwell 6). Currently, the government plans to introduce an invented language in Oceania (Orwell 89). The party expects everyone to communicate using the language.
The major aim of adopting the language is to avert political insurgence by getting rid of all related expressions. In Oceania, the idea of having disobedient thoughts is unlawful (Orwell 89). In the contemporary society, leaders are surprised to witness a number of countries shifting their governments’ allegiance by using technology to trigger protests (Al-Rasheed 675). Because of this, some postulate that technology has prevented humans from thinking critically.
According to the critics, technology will eventually stimulate continuous transformation and protest leading to more free communities. Below, the paper argues that the government is utilizing technology for its interests. By doing so, the article illustrate how the use of the technology by the government for its own purposes has affected the public.
Technology as a tool of surveillance and torture
Those who believe that the government is using technology for its own interests agree that technology was initially created with the aim of improving human welfare. It is surprising to note that currently the government is using technology contrary to the public’s interest. Through surveillance, the government has proved that technology can be abused (Mason & Charles 380). According to the inventors of modern surveillance technology, the innovation was supposed to help the government trace criminals.
The technology was never invented to be utilized in mass surveillance. Recently, it was reported that Dr. Joshep Atick, a founder of current face recognition machinery, was worried that the governments were abusing the technology by infringing on individuals’ privacy (Mason & Charles 381). It is wrong for the government to track law-abiding citizens using the surveillance machinery because it compromises on their privacy.
Through surveillance, government agencies collect personal information about its citizens. If these data are not safeguarded, cyber criminals might access the information such as emails, phone numbers, and credit card numbers. In such situations, the citizens might lose their savings through mischievous schemes.
Similarly, the government is using the technology to meet its interests by employing it as a tool of torture. In1984, the author illustrates how the government exploits technology to torture its citizens (Orwell 65). By doing so, the government ensures that the citizens do not oppose its rules. Additionally, the technology prevents Oceania’s citizens from championing against the corruption in the government. Currently, the US military is alleged to be in possession of microwave weaponry systems.
The weapons can be used to cause physical attacks on the targets. The weapons can cause stress, physical torture, and transform residences into places of tremendous suffering.
Although the government has never used the technology against its citizens, the public should be weary of the existence of this technology. If the public revolves against the government in the future, the administration might resort to the technology in a bid to contain the protests. In case of such an event, the public would be disadvantaged, as the technology will cause significant physical damages.
Based on the above illustrations, it is clear that the government is using technology to advance its interest at the expense of the public interests. Therefore, the public should demand the government to use technology appropriately.
The use of the internet
With increasing dependency on the internet, the government is increasing its control in the sector with the aim of advancing its interests just as the Oceania government did (Orwell 2). In the book, the government monitors every citizen’s acts. In all places Wiston Smith’s explores, the government authorities are informed by monitoring him through telescreens (Orwell 22). On the other hand, the government is increasingly hacking on individuals’ information on the internet (Goldsmith & Tim 23).
Similarly, the government has increased its power on the internet through censorship. It is alleged that through social media the government agencies are accessing citizens’ information that it could not access through conventional means.
By doing so, the government is violating the citizens’ privacy. When the government has excess power over the internet, the citizens will be negatively affected. The government will decide what the citizens should access and what they should not. Through this, they will be denied important information.
Similarly, government uses technology to advance their interests through propaganda. During election periods, the public members are often bombarded with propaganda messages through their gadgets with the aim of influencing them to vote for certain individuals (Bennett 90).
As such, media content received via electronic gadgets is supposed to be informative and educative. However, the government is currently using the technology to pursue the public to take positions. The above acts have disastrous effects on the citizens. As such, propaganda distracts them from making their own independent decisions. The information can also affect the democracy (Allison 56).
Therefore, the public should resist all attempts by the government to increase its internet power and distribute propaganda via the medium. By doing so, the public will be able to come up with their own decisions enhancing democracy in the society.
Opposition’s views
According to the parties opposing the above claims, the government is using the technology to improve the welfare of the society (Mason & Charles 379). The critics argue that with the use of mass surveillance, the government has been able to enhance national security. They claim that with effective use of mass surveillance the government can significantly reduce the rates of crime.
According to them, if surveillance is effectively implemented in major public places, criminals will fear to carry out their ill motives for fear of being discovered and penalized later. Equally, the critics believe that crimes such as bribery would be eliminated through mass surveillance because the perpetrators would fear to undertake the act under surveillance.
The opposition also believes that the government should increase its control over the internet (Goldsmith & Tim 57). They assert that with enhanced power over the internet, the government can be in a better position to safeguard the public from terrorism, cyber bullying, and child pornography (Goldsmith & Tim 60). Without the government control over the internet, the public members accessing the internet would be vulnerable to online criminals.
The critics believe that the government has been able to trace and prosecute cyber criminals by increasing its control over the internet (Goldsmith & Tim 62). Similarly, the critics assert that the government should enhance its control over the internet to ensure that all the website owners meet the required standards. Based on these claims, the opposition believes that the government is not using the technology in contrary to the public interests.
Conclusion
Usually, governments thrive due to loyal support from the members of the public. As such, the government expects the public to support its daily activities. Loyal citizens are expected to obey the government directions without any hesitations. Now, the world leaders are shocked to witness increased demonstrations across the world owing to the use of technology. Based on the recent occurrence, critics argue that technology has hampered humans from thinking critically.
The above article argues that the governments utilize technology for its own interests. Through surveillance, the government has been able to monitor the movements of the public members. By doing so, it does not only infringe on their privacy rights, but also risk exposing their information to cyber criminals. Critics assert that it is illegal for the government to track the members of the public with the use of surveillance machinery.
Correspondingly, the government utilizes technology to meet up its interests by employing it as an instrument of torture. When used as a torture tool, technology can cause physical attacks on the targeted victims. For instance, microwave weapons can cause stress, physical torture, and change residences into places of tremendous anguish.
With increasing internet connectivity, governments are increasing their control over the sector. For instance, the government has been accused of censoring internet content. By doing so, the public has been limited from accessing informative information. Similarly, trough the internet control the government can hack into individuals’ information.
Works Cited
Al-Rasheed, Madawi. “The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle-East.” Middle Eastern Studies 48.4 (2012): 675-677. Print.
Allison, Juliann Emmons. Technology, development, and democracy international conflict and cooperation in the information age. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2002. Print.
Bennett, Colin. “The politics of privacy and the privacy of politics: Parties, elections and voter surveillance in Western democracies.” First Monday 18.8 (2013): 89-101. Print.
Goldsmith, Jack L., and Tim Wu. Who controls the Internet?: illusions of a borderless world. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.
Mason, David, and Charles D. Raab. “Privacy, Surveillance, Trust and Regulation: Individual and Collective Dilemmas of Online Privacy Protection.” Information, Communication & Society 5.3 (2002): 379-381. Print.
Orwell, George. 1984. Milano: Mondadori, 1985. Print.
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