Privilege Society
Would you trade your privacy for privileges?
Technology offers incredible new ways of tracking the activities of everyone, but that doesn’t mean we should. And you might hear the words of Ben Parker, “Remember, with great power comes great responsibility” as you picture big brother leaning back in his arm-chair, watching our lives flicker by on the screens. So, what if the real threat doesn’t come from big brother at all, but from a social dilemma we’re all taking part of. What if voluntary surveillance is the real threat. Imagine this future scenario, described by James Martin:
“Category A people are security-cleared and have automatic identification. A wireless beam can interrogate their identity card (which may be in the form of a ring, bracelet or necklace). They can walk through immigration checkpoints or go into the Four Seasons restaurant in New York unaware of the computers that are tracking and validating them. Category B people are essentially good people who choose not to have the automatic identification; they will often be stopped unless they avoid secured places. Category C people will lack full security clearance and will often be subjected to close examination. Category D people will be automatically blocked.”
Well, it’s happening already. Only, it’s not governments that are making it happen. People are exposing themselves to surveillance to receive privileges – every hour of every day. Frequent flyer’s are giving up biometrical data to cut check-in time. Facebook-users are allowing tracking of their surfing habits to access social networks. Some are allowing people to track their online status on Instant Messengers. Some, including me, are automatically uploading what music they’ve been listening to on last.fm. I think that most people would react strongly to a society where we are categorized into A-D citizens, but in accordance with the psychology of social dilemmas they won’t act to stop us from going there.
“Social Dilemma; A conflict in which the most beneficial action for an individual will, if chosen by most people, have harmful effects on everyone” – Aronson, Wilson and Akert, 2004
The bad thing about Catogory A-D society is that people who choose not to give up their privacy are treated as class B citizens for no other reason than their support of privacy. Most people (let’s say 95%, shall we?) gladly give up their privacy for some privileges, and why shouldn’t they? They apparently don’t feel the need for privacy, and one more person giving up his or her privacy doesn’t make much of a difference. After all – who wants to be category B?
So, would you trade your privacy for privileges? You’d better think twice about it…
