Computer Law Review and Technology Journal
Abstract
Imagine a world where any idea or message communicated to another individual is subject to governmental scrutiny for possible criminal, subversive, or terroristic content. The current location of any individual, as well as the places that he or she commonly frequents, can easily be tracked through that person's phone calls, online activity, and financial records, which are all accessible to government agencies. By intercepting e-mails and tracking online browsing, shopping, and other activities, the most intimate details, habits, and preferences of the average individual are readily available to the prying eyes of cyber-criminals and law enforcement officials alike. Scenarios such as this one have been played out in a vast array of films, novels, and predictions.' Those of a more pragmatic nature would attempt to dismiss such ideas as fiction created to take advantage of the popular conspiracy theory paranoia that permeates today's culture. Without lending credence to the more bizarre theories circulating among extremist groups and Internet chat rooms,2 the situation described above is much more realistic than one would like to imagine. In fact, taking into account the surveillance tools that law enforcement agencies are known to possess today, their extensive record of abuse of authority, and the current state of electronic privacy protection law, the above situation is entirely plausible.
Recommended Citation
Thomas P. Ludwig,
The Erosion of Online Privacy Rights in the Recent Tide of Terrorism,
8
Computer L. Rev. & Tech. J.
131
(2003)
