In the decades that have passed, there have been some terrorist attacks in different parts of the world that have claimed so many lives. These attacks and criminal activities in general take a lot of planning before they are executed. The realization that more needed to be done to protect people prompted the government to do more. In the wake of the reality of the times that we are living in, the government has continued to make proper strides to collect enough information that will enable them to stop any criminal activities. Let us learn more about surveillance of citizens by the government using advanced security systems.
1. Phone records
Every single day we send messages to our loved ones, we make and receive phone calls as well. What most people are not aware of is that these calls are closely monitored for any suspicious activity. The government requires that network providers register all their users before issuing them with sim cards. This is done to have the identities of everyone making calls and sending messages.
2. Homeland security
This is group that has an even more aggressive form of collecting information through surveillance. They have a system that has a number of key words that anyone involved in any suspicious activity is likely to use when they are conducting their operations. Using these key words, they are able to see who uses them the most and launches an operation to have these individuals closely monitored.
3. Social media
Social media has become the norm. Everyone is on social media and the world has become a global village. This is however what makes it easy to collect information. Be it facebook or twitter or even instagram. That picture you posted, that statement you made, that message you sent, can be used to gain insight on what you do. Most people especially in America have made complaints of the government violating their privacy and just how far they are supposed to go when it comes to gathering information about them to protect them. These concerns however can not be fully addressed as it will hinder the government from doing what they need to do extensively to protect its citizens.
4. National intelligence
It is a recent and ongoing development that the government is looking for a tool to integrate all the information online. This information includes any searches made online from different locations as well as web cameras for traffic to monitor any unusual movements and to gather enough information to shut down any illegal operations even before they begin. Edits made on wikipedia are also closely monitored. Organizations such as the IRS also use different accounts on social media to monitor their taxpayers. This is not illegal, yet.
