Cell Phones and Privacy

While some people who use prepaid phones are using them to commit crimes, there are still some legitimate reasons why someone might use one. For example, and elderly person who does not use a phone too often might choose to use a prepaid phone instead of paying for a monthly bill for something they rarely use. Also, international plans are very expensive, so it might be easier to use a prepaid phone for worldwide travel. Parents who want to restrict the amount of time their child talks on the phone might give their children a prepaid phone. I don't feel as if prepaid phones should be banned, but I do feel like they should be registered so that they can be tracked. In all of the legitimate reasons above, it would make no difference wether the phone was tracked or not. I feel that if prepaid users were required to register their phones it would significantly cut down on the amount of crime committed on them.

Location Tracking

I do not feel that parents should have the right to put GPS tracking systems in their children. I think that it would just cause more harm than benefits. I think that many parents would become obsessed with tracking their children and would just constantly be watching them. I think kids should be trusted until they have done something to break that trust. What type of relationship would the child have with their parents if they knew their parents couldn't even trust them to tell the truth about where they were going? Maybe if a teenager is acting out and is continuing to lie to their parents about where they are going, then the tracking system MIGHT be okay. Although I will still suggest that the parent and child try to work out their issues and create a relationship with trust. I don't even feel as if elderly people with Alzheimer's should have the GPS system. I feel like almost everybody would be creeped out knowing somebody could constantly track them and nobody would be comfortable with it. I would not support a bill requiring ID chips in children under the age of 5. A part of being a parent is monitoring where your children go, and most parents don't have an issue with that. Also, why would anybody want to surgically place something under the skin that is not necessary? It all seems very bizarre to me.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my first blog! I created this blog to post assignments for my computer science class, Living in a Networked World. The objective of the class to see how the web and other new technologies has affected society and everyday life. I'll post more soon!