Because the latest breakthroughs in technology allows just about any piece of information to be created, published, and distributed for the general public to see, there is more to consider than the risk of coming across junk. One of the most frightening aspects of the Internet that has been coming about is the risk of our privacy being compromised. Since any piece of information can easily make its way through the Internet, some of the content that is bound to become more visible to a wider range of users may include information about individuals. People have every right to feel afraid about their personal backgrounds being made public, especially when there is the issue of how the authorities may react. In order for criminals and terrorists to remain one step ahead of the law for the sake of carrying out their plans with greater success, they needed to adapt to more sophisticated methods. As they further ensured their survival, the government obviously became more paranoid. On account that certain individuals with an antisocial personal disorder are capable of hiding in plain view, secretly spying on everyone seems like the most logical approach to detect the suspects and uproot the perpetrators. Because there are always possibilities that the reasoning of those carrying out the investigations can be overtaken by a paranoia from the surroundings, a lust for power, or other factors that lead to corruption, just about anyone is prone to being labeled as a suspect. Putting such a factor into consideration, it should be rendered as justifiable for libraries to refuse disclosing information about their patrons. When the law is pursuing those engaging in antisocial activities and a lead would point to a library, it is crucial for the staff to cooperate. Yet if there are suspicions that the investigation is to be conducted in a reckless manner (i.e. utilizing the most unconvincing reasons to potentially prosecute any innocent civilian), only then it would seem appropriate for the library to stand its ground. Reassurance must be given that the investigators are to abide by a genuinely proper procedure in carrying out their tasks so the rights of the patrons would still be respected.
Based on what I can remember from one of my Information Technology courses during my junior year as an undergraduate student, it is often the governments that are the first to utilize the latest technological breakthrough that occurs. As soon as the innovation occurs, the predecessor becomes available to the general public (with the big companies often being the next in line). The United States government is obviously not exempt from this concept, especially when in times of war. It is important to have the most advanced technology readily available and at one’s disposal for the sake of being able to out-maneuver the enemy with greater ease. The outstanding technologies we have today were developed as a result of the most major world events that ended up taking place during the 20th century, which were World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. Had it not been for the global impact they made, we probably would not have the technological luxuries that we have today. However, all this seems to be coming at a price. As the times change, so does crime and the threats it imposes. With terrorism officially becoming the new military threat to civilization, there is a new kind of challenge being faced. Since the participants of such activities are capable of carrying out their plans in a manner that is becoming increasingly difficult to detect out in the open, our government felt compelled to spy on our own people just to pick up on potential leads. The irony to this entire scenario is that we condemned the Soviet Union for their surveillance on civilians (which was especially the case for the Stasi in East Germany) and Nazi Germany for devastation it inflicted, and yet this nation had to experience the ordeals of the McCarthy trials, the Vietnam War, the Patriot Act, and the War in Iraq. It is becoming apparent that the power people have garnered through the use of updated technology is gradually turning them into everything they have always hated. It is a matter of time before they will be rendered as no different, only to be replaced by a new form of a superpower, who themselves will be going through a similar process all over again.
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