Privacy+Topic+Responses+by+U.S.A.+Period+5

=**__Period 5 English:__**=

Students from Patrick Henry High School, in California, U.S.A., will share American facts and their own ideas concerning **__the privacy topics__** given out in class relating to George Orwell's book, //1984.//


 * __Student responses to these main topics:__**

__**Number 1:**__ Unobtrusive (hidden) cameras placed in public and private places watching and taping people. Student response: Hidden cameras can be both hazardous and beneficial. In public places, hidden cameras can be used for safety purposes. They are often used to catch criminals after robberies or murders. Though they may spy on average people, you would be glad they were there if a criminal hurt you or someone around you. However, these can be very hazardous if they are in private places.

The number of hidden cameras in the United states is staggering. Though nobody but individuals in the government know the exact amount of cameras, we do know the payments made by cities to have these installed. Some examples: In New York City, a combination of government and private funds (including $200 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security last year) has created a network of cameras that reaches far into the thousands, spanning subway stations, traffic signals, overhead awnings and private businesses. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, which runs the city's buses, subways and commuter trains, recently signed a multimillion-dollar contract with a major security company—Lockheed Martin—to add 1,000 smart cameras to the system's already 3,000-camera-strong surveillance system. The New York City Police Department operates an additional 3,000 cameras, the majority of which reside in the city's public housing developments.

Finding information on this topic is not easy. I have a suspicion that the government doesn't really want us knowing how many there really are. Submitted by Jordan

- Hidden cameras in public places can be useful, for example if they're situated outside banks or shops, because in this way it is possible to discover the guilties when there's a robbery or something. But at the same time it is weird to know that while you're walking on the road someone can see you. You feel observed, maybe you are scared to be natural and to behave spontaneously. But generally I agree with cameras in public places, because their utility is more than their negative aspects.
 * Submitted by Margherita R. (from Bergamo).**

Student response: Privacy is an issue that many teens and children rarely have nowadays due to many devices implemented by their parents. Many parents use GPS tracking devices to keep track of where their children are and what they are doing. Children can be tracked via sweater, where a chip is planted in a childrens sweater and by GPS in cell phones. These devices are simple to purchase as the demand for knowledge of children's whereabouts have increased exponentially. It is not uncommon to find a wireless cell phone carrier that will sell you this product. Many children object to this because they feel like it is an invasion of privacy and that they are not fully trusted by their parents. Although many people object, there is a good side to the tracking systems. We hear many horror stories in the news that children and regular people are being abducted and if they had a chip the tracking process would be less complicated and less time consuming. Also, the tracking devices prevent children from disobeying their parents because they know they are being watched and know not to do anything wrong.
 * __Number 2:__** Parents use GPS (Global Positional System) to keep track of their children.

Submitted by: Maji, Brittany G., Sam R.

I think that parents use GPS because of a sort of their anxious, in fact they want to be sure that their children are in a secure place or they aren't in a danger. But at the same time this system deprives their really freedom. It's truth that nowadays all the world is controlled by those objects. Apparently this system can be useful to trace criminals, but in my opinion it isn't right use GpS to keep track of children because they constantly are in research of a independence, it is normal!!! So to improve the situation, children and parents have to respect both. Finally I think that GPS are useful if people use them in the better way.


 * Submitted by: Jessica F.(from Bergamo)**

Student response: The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense. In the 1980's the United States government made the system available for civilian use. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. The GPS space segment satellites are orbiting the earth about 12,000 miles above us. They are constantly moving, making two complete orbits in less than 24 hours. These satellites are travelling at speeds of roughly 7,000 miles an hour. ([|http://www.8garmin.com/aboutGPS/]). Today, in the year 2008, many people feel as though their privacy has been invaded. With the use of GPS systems, people have the ability to be tracked and track others. This high technology is only improving. In the United States, law does not specifically address whether hidden cameras violate privacy rights.([|http://www.surveillance-source.com/Hidden_Camera_Surveillance.htm]) Since the late 1990s, two federal appeals courts and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have required employers to meet with the union before using hidden cameras. ([|http://www.lctjournal.washington.edu/Vol3/a002Johnson.html]). In the year 2005, 51 percent of companies used video surveillance according Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance Survey conducted by the American Management Association and The E-Policy Institute.([|http://www.lctjournal.washington.edu/Vol3/a002Johnson.html]). This statistic has grown with each year. Employers seem to put cameras anywhere they can. Some employers have even put cameras in store fitting rooms, where customers try on clothes. There is a fine line between violating privacy and keeping civilians safe. Employers argue that with all the violence in today's world, hidden cameras are strictly for safety. This has been a big issue in the United States. Privacy is becoming extinct.
 * __Number 3:__** Employers that use GPS (Global Positioning System) and hidden cameras to keep track of their employees.

Submitted by: Kaitlin, John & Shane

Also in Italy there are a lot of cameras used to controll crime. It'is also true that many employers put cameras and video surveillance in their shops, all this to controll much some crime commited by people. In my opinion the use of this system is right because nowadays the crime is constantly increasing!!! so this system is a sort of protection, but on the other day the use of cameras and also GPS limite the person privacy. Even if the use of cameras can became a pretest to spie people!!!


 * Submitted by: Jessica F. (from Bergamo)**

Student response: Online data mining (sometimes called data or knowledge discovery) is the sifting through large amounts of data to find patterns. The patterns could be used for anything, from good to bad. one good thing it is used for is research for sales. a supermarket chain in the Midwest used a program called Oracle to analyse all of their sales. one of the things that they found was that men bought diapers most on Tuesdays and Saturdays. they also found that when men bought dippers they were more likely to buy beer. the supermarket was able to use this data to improve their sales. sites like [|http://www.datamentors.com] offer data mining services for businesses A bad thing that this technique could be used for is selling the collected data on customers. Your information can be sold to third parties. it can be open to a wide variety of people. Often it is sold to people that are trying to compile information for illegal reasons. Submitted by Adam M. and Wesley C.
 * __Number 4:__** Online data mining of people's personal information.

Student response: Customers now have their privacy neglected. Although it may help business' in keeping it up, there is a limit that cannot be passed where it invades privacy. By keeping track of peoples credit card numbers, it makes it hazardous for an individual in society. If people, especially employees are able to view someones personal credit card numbers they can easily use them to benefit themselves and lead to the ruin of someones finances. This way of monitoring people cannot really be corrected, it has to be stopped. If a customer likes a store and it's products they will keep going back. They do not need to be monitored but satisfied with the overall store. Laws should be placed against this act, or at least to keep it at bay so that it doesn't get out of control. A government that is too powerful is a bad thing because it's less freedom to an individual. Too powerful in the meaning that they control everything and your existence is because of them.
 * __Number 5:__** Online data mining of people's consumer information.

Submitted by: Vilma & Irma

Student response: Our topic talks about the collection of personal information by the government. While the collection of this information limits privacy, it is beneficial because it keeps society safe from terrorists. The cost of maintaining safety in society is to sacrifice our privacy. In order to keep our country safe, the laws must be strict. However, sometimes the law goes overboard with safety regulations. For example, because of 9/11, airport security has become extremely strict with what you bring on a plane.
 * __Number 6:__** Collection of personal information, secretly, by government FBI or other agencies to fight terrorism; allowing private citizens to have their house or cell phones tapped or using electronic devices to search people's background.

"The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is currently limiting liquids, gels, and/or aerosols in carryon baggage. These items include beverages, shampoo, suntan lotion, creams, toothpaste, hair gel, hair spray, and other items of similar consistency." ([|http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/travel_alert.html])

Our topic also discusses whether or not students should be searched before entering school or when shopping at the mall. Although the schools are trying to maintain safety for the students, this is an example of where the laws are too strict.

"Each morning, the 16,000 students in the Spring Independent School District in suburban Houston swipe their ID tags as they climb onto the school bus." ([|http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-10-09-school-security_x.htm])

Submitted by Anastasia Mavasheva, Jessica Factuar, and Elisse Lakhany on January 10, 2008.

Student response: In many schools across the nation, districts are blocking access to many websites that they think are inappropriate for the students. The teachers should control what their students look at when the students are on the computer. They should walk around the class and check to see if the kids are staying on task. The only sites that should be blocked are the ones that have pornographic pictures and videos or racial or discriminating remarks.. While kids are at school, the teachers take responsibility for their student just like a parent so it is their duty to supervise explicit content on the computer. According to a union city website, "The computer system is the property of the district, and all computer software and hardware belong to it. Therefore, the district retains the right to monitor all access to and use of the Internet." Even though the district owns the software, they should not have complete control of what websites are restricted.
 * __Number 7:__** Internet online safety concerns for children. Many companies sell blocking systems to various organizations and private groups.

Submitted By: Sean Hatch, Adam Lindquist, Landon Lessem period 5

Resources: Union City Website: Privacy and Acceptable use Policy: http://www.union-city-nj.org/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=11

Student response:
 * __Number 8:__** The government has a "Government no-fly list" that identifies people that are not allowed to fly on an airplanes.

The no fly list is a secret list that is made in the government of America to make sure that the criminals that they are looking for can't leave the country. It helps to track down the person that the government is looking for. Knowing where he or she is located, the government can get a hold of the person if they have to. If someone's on the list, it means a great threat or a danger or harm to the nation. As for today, people like the suspected terrorists would be a great example of being in the no-fly list since the government would not want to let a suspected terrorist to get out of the country until they are proven innocent. I believe such determination was a very good decision to make for the sake of our nation. I don't think it doesn't give the government too much power because it makes the citizens feel protected that such action would keep the criminals away from major public places like the airport.

The "Government no-fly list" is beneficial in some ways because it can help capture terrorist or criminals trying to escape the country. It is also bad. For example, you want to take a family vacation to Paris, but someone else has the exact name as you and they tell you that you can't fly. The government puts the person in the NO FLY LIST, and you are unable to travel. After a while they say that everything was a mistake. How would you feel if that happened to you? Something similar happened to Edward Allen a four-year-old child. He was on his way to see grandma, when they stopped him at the airport. He was scared and didn't know what was going on. Then they told him that he was in the "Government No-fly list". After this happened they find out that another person with the same name was in the government terrorist watch list. so after all everything was a misunderstanding but they sure scared the poor little boy.(Found at MSNBC, January 10,2008, at www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10725741 ).

The Government no-fly list can sometimes not be good. The reason why is because there are many names on the no fly list. Someone else can have the same name or familiar name as the person who is on the list. Therefore can cause problems for some people. There is no way to get out of the no-fly list. The only way is if you can prove that you are not that person that they are suspecting or think it might be. For example, there was a man who name was Ted Kennedy. That name was in the no-fly list. There is another man who has the same name. It took him about 3 weeks to get his name out. Some have taken years and is still trying to get their name out. (Found at**:** U.S No-fly list, http://www.schneier.com/essay-052.html 8/25/2004 Check this 7 details before you fly,be prepared .1. Check whether your name appears on the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals List.[|OFAC website.]2. Check your credit Reports for Ofac alerts.[|Annual Report.com.]3. Check your name for Terrorist Matches as S3 Matching Technologies' TeraMAtch.[|TeraMatch demonstration]4. use the DHS Trip Program to Resolve Approproate Travel Related Issues.[|DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program]5. Contact an attorney, If you are placed on a No Fly List in error.6. Get up to date information.[|Constitution Project website],(EPIC)[|air travel privacy]7. Vote for Candidates who support watchlist and civil rights safeguards for more information go to [|**http://terrorism.about.com/od/beingprepared/tp/Watchlist.htm**] Submitted by:Ann Suh, Neda Bounthavilai,Francisco Heredia per.5

Student response: Places like concert halls and gym locker rooms, and other public places all fall under camera phone privacy invasion.Some of these phones can be used as cameras," Miran Chan, a spokeswoman for the Physical chain of gyms, told CNN last month. If someone uses a phone this way and takes a photo and puts it on the Internet, it's not very good for our members and their privacy.With camera phones, people can snap revealing shots in locker rooms or people can stalk others, students can cheat on tests or crooked employees can copy confidential plans and most importantly identity thefts can capture credit card numbers. Asia accounted for 80 percent of total camera-\ phone sales in the fourth quarter of last year, while Western Europe snagged 13 percent of the phone camera market. Both North America and Eastern Europe claimed 2.3 percent of total camera-phone sales each in the same period of time. While consumers tend to use the devices to take pictures of their families and friends, businesses also see the value in the phone. Sprint PCS spokesman Dan Wilinsky used the example of the insurance adjuster who takes a quick snapshot at the scene of an accident and instantly sends it back to the office. "With the color screens of the phone, (camera phones) are more and more in demand," Wilinsky said. "You will see more and more in weeks and months to come." Cell-phone manufacturers Nokia and Sony-Ericsson said that the camera phone did not have any more potential for misuse than any other digital camera, which nowadays can be as small as a pencil or a credit card, Nokia spokesman Keith Nowak said. "You'd have to be pretty good not to tell someone you are taking their picture," Nowak said. To take a picture on a camera phone, the user must point and click the phone at the subject. While most of the phones do not have flashes on them, they do make a shutter noise to alert the user that the picture has been taken, Nowak said. While the pictures may appear somewhat fuzzy on the low-resolution screen of a phone, they can appear vivid over the Internet, admits Sony-Ericsson spokeswoman Nicky Csellak-Claeys. That's what's got some gym-goers, even in the United States, a little worried. "Well, yeah," said Michelle Guglielmo, a 25-year-old sales representative who was recently at a 24 Hour Fitness gym in San Francisco. "You're naked. You're exposed. It's not a nice thing to think about." All 24 Hour Fitness clubs post signs saying, "No filming, videotaping or photography is permitted in the club without the written permission of management," a company spokesman said. "The new camera-cell-phone combinations are no exception to this rule," he said. The Gold's Gym in Oakland, California, also said it hasn't witnessed any clandestine picture-taking there. "If it does, we will deal with it when it comes," said Gold's Gym manager Chris Davies. But one group of people that privacy advocates and industry analysts expect to hear from in the upcoming months are copyright holders such as museum exhibitors and concert musicians. Not many artists made a fuss over file trading when people were relying on dial-up connections to download music, said Cedric Laurant, policy counsel in Washington. Fast-forward to today's broadband era and music-swapping sites are being sued left and right by copyright holders because it is so quick and easy to download a song, he said.
 * __Number 9:__** Cell-phone cameras and how they can be used on people without their permission.

Submitted by Keaton Raftery, Elliott Morgan, Garrett Mullins

Student response: Networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace can be very dangerous because people like child molesters find it very easy to post fake information about themselves to look more appealing to young children. Over 270,000 register into MySpace everyday so as you can imagine the popularity of MySpace and Facebook is growing everyday.There is now about 54 million people registered to MySpace. Also last year it was reported that more than 2,600 adults used the internet to look for minors to seduce, and those are just the reported statistics. There can be many other incidents in which child molesters have lured children into their traps by pretending to be young and attractive to them. I think that many young children both girls and boys don't know the risk of MySpace and putting their personal information out there for everyone to see. They don't see the grave danger it could be of putting things like "Hottie with a bodi" or "PlayboySlut" things like that give the wrong idea especially to child molesters who lurk the web.
 * __Number 10:__** Social networking sites such as FaceBook and MySpace can be corrupted by false information.

(Found at: Wired, April 2006, retrieved January 11,2008 at:[|http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2006/04/70675]) (Found at: CBBS, Feb 2006, retrieved January 11, 2008 at:[|http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/06/eveningnews/main1286130.shtml]) Put your friends on the big screen with Windows Vista® + Windows Live™. [|http://www.microsoft.com/windows/shop/specialoffers.mspx?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_CPC_MediaCtr_bigscreen_012008]

Submitted by: Aracely and Alejandro

It's true, today in everything we can find a danger, especially on internet since anyone can access to it. Maybe the young girls and boys really don't know the threats that they can find behind a website like facebook or MySpace. In my opinion the parents must protect their children alerting them that on line there aren't only good people, good site where they can find new friends or to share their experience, their thoughts with other guys but without to invade their privacy. You are right, the principal problem is that many guys don't know the risk of MySpace and above all the risk to put their personal informations on a web site, where everyone can read. Exacltly for this reason fundamental is the parents's role, the young children must be conscious that there are a lot of child molesters (even 2,600 like you have written) who are ready to do everything, like

I think that social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook are useful for meeting people from other countries and other cultures, for comparing our personal opinions or only for chatting with our friends. but we've to pay attention to the people we chat with and especially we mustn't give personal data like code numbers or dates of birth, because they could be used by someone to steal our money or to use our identity improperly. personally I joined Facebook last year and I use it mainly for chatting with my friends; I think that these communities are a ingenious invention because they managed to attract young people and togive them a "place" where talk and share their opinions freely.
 * submitted by luca schiavini**

Student response: The Internet is filled with a wealth of resources on many subjects. Some of them are only meant to be used as advice, but that doesn't stop some people from mistaking this advice for professional consultation. One area where this is prevalent is online medical help. Sites like Web MD are online to provide advice for normal everyday people and have a small amount of content control done by professional doctors. Medical fraud exists in various forms which usually involves a plan that is known to be false and sold for a profit. Some of the promoters really believe in what they are doing, but they really don't have a clue. The Internet provides a way for people to promote worthless material to make their own profit.
 * __Number 11:__** People becoming their own doctors by researching diseases on the Internet and possibly following wrong medical advice.

Source: http://your-doctor.com/patient_info/alternative_remedies/various_therapy/quackery.html

Louie Nguyen, Doug Hayward

Student response: In today's world identity theft is a major issue that has been going on for many years now in America, and is really hard to control. Identity theft occurs when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to commit fraud and other crimes. The Federal Trade Commission reports that for the 4th year in a row identity theft topped the list of consumer complaints. Identity theft accounted for over 42 percent of all complaints lodged in the FTC Consumer Sentinel database in 2006, up 40 percent from 2007. The total loss to business and individual victims for all types of reported identity theft--both new account and existing account frauds is almost $53 billion dollars annually. More specifically, business victims experienced a total loss of $47.5 billion or an average of $4,800 per business victim per year. Individual victims account for a total loss of $5 billion and $500 per victim annually. Americans spent 300 million hours resolving issues related to identity theft just in the year of 2007. Between individual and business identity theft victims - an average of 30 - 60 hours per victim was spent on handling various matters related to identity theft including new accounts, existing account and other frauds. In conclusion, identity theft can be stressful and a hassle at the same time. to prevent it you have to put in a lot of time and effort because it isn't a walk through the park. People yearly get hit by this act and it is really hard to control. submitted by Mussie Fikre and Mulu Minlik
 * __Number 12:__** Identify theft is becoming a serious problem. Research how often this occurs, how horrendous it is, and what safety guidelines people should follow to prevent this.

Student response:
 * __Number 13:__** Government Tapping of Phone Lines:

Student response: 1. The Patriot Act is a way for The goverment to monitor Terrorist and non-legal activity in the United States. Through this act Phone lines are tapped, and camera's are used. The Goverment listens to the conversations of those that the lines are tapped, and they go from there in the case where they need to prosecute and or investigate due to the evidence found. This in my opinion is not harmful to the people of society, but it is abtrustive because of the fact that tehe goverment and the powers that be can tap your fone without you knowing. 2. The only way it can be correced to be beneficial is if you are told you are being watched but then that defeats the pint, because the main goal in a way of the whole plan is to entrap you and hope you say incriminating things. So there really is no way of making this process beneficial to society. 3. I truely think that this is a beneficial process because people who are doing bad need to be watched and caught and there needs to be a certain watchful eye on the public so as to not allow actions taken to escalate inot bigger problems. This makes the goverment powerful but not the the extent people of the public make it pout to be. Yes they are powerful in what they are doing but they do not have the ultimate say, the angencies have the say in this situation. 4. I think a goverment should have alot of power but not too much power. There is a fine line that does not run straight when it comes to too much and too little power. But I ultimately think that the goverment should have power but not overused power.
 * __Number 14:__** Patriot Act:

Submitted by Patrick Richards, Tyler Ziemba

Student response: From reading an article from 2005 on a Norwegian web page. Many people put up public cameras. Every time you put up a public camera in Norway you are supposed to send in an information about your public camera to an organization that list all the public cameras in the country. When analyzing how many cameras sold and how many that have been registered, there is more cameras sold than registered. That means that unobtrusive public cameras can become a problem. I have not brought attention about the public camera problem, but when I think of it, there is a lot of cameras in bathrooms, dressers, stores and even on public streets. A random bathroom at a shopping mall in the capital of Norway, Oslo, showed different angels on two monitors in a shack were you need to pay to go to the bathroom. People could actually stand outside and watch the two monitores whats going on in the bathroom. Should there be more strict laws about public cameras? Live Web Cameras have also become a popular public camera. Today you can search for ap lot of city's and watch a certain city live. Submitted by Ben Furhovden, 1-16-08
 * __Number 15:__** Privacy Issues in Norway: