Surveillance and Security of Our Personal Data

Instructions:

Please read Chapters 1 to 5 of "Data and Goliath."

Please summarize and analyze the argument put forth in "Data and Goliath." Please make sure to follow all of the directions regarding grammar and referencing. These are both important aspects of communication. In addition, the proper attribution of sources is an important component of academic communication.

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Data and Goliath

The book “Data and Goliath” revolves around surveillance and security of our personal data in the contemporary environment. Bruce Schneier, a security expert, flaunts how we have voluntarily given our private data and information to governments and corporations in exchange without us even knowing. The need for favors such as convenience or protection is what we get in return for giving up our data. Unfortunately, we have entrusted our private information to parties that use it to further their interests. For instance, the corporations use surveillance systems to manipulate the advertisements we come across and even manipulate prices to match our expectations. Governments use our information to censor, discriminate, and put people in danger globally. We voluntarily give out our personal information, which culminates to extreme surveillance. All the outcomes are our own making. The essay outlines a summary and analysis of the first five chapters of the book.

1. Chapter One: Data as a By-product of Computing

The chapter begins by outlining the human interaction with computers. Computer technology has computerized our entire space to the extent that privacy has lost its real meaning. Computers continuously produce and document more data than we know. Data production is continuous in our daily lives ranging from communication, the use of the internet, the use of data processors and our cell phones. Data processors, for instance, word documents, constantly store information about our activities while using our computer. In addition, corporations use the Internet to collect data and information about consumers. Computers secretly record the websites we open, the ads we click and even the words we type. The organizations use the information collected to their benefit, for example, in enhancing their marketing activities (Schneier 13).

Furthermore, we use computers to communicate with our friends, colleagues and family members through emails, text messaging, Facebook, MySpace, WhatsApp, and Twitter. Cell phones have become our daily tool for communication but to enhance the communication process, users have to give up their location and names to the service provider. Data becomes the by-product of the entire interaction between computers and humans. Additionally, the electronics in our households, the cars we drive, and the taxis we use have been turned into smart appliances that store a great deal of personal data and information based on our constant interactions with them. The data storage mechanisms do not choose the type of information to be stored but everything that seems viable from the other party’s point of view. The literature gives a clear picture that our current environment is not private and entirely under continuous surveillance. The parties use the data generated while using our computers, which makes it easier to monitor our movements (Schneier 13; Jacobs 122).

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2. Chapter Two: Data as Surveillance

As mentioned above, data is the source of our continuous interaction with computers and the digital medium.  Governments and corporations gather, store, and analyze the vast amounts of data generated during the entire process. The data, collected without our consent, can be used for several purposes that can influence our lives. Intelligence organizations such as the NSA value data when carrying out their surveillance activities. The NSA gathers metadata about people, which defines the context of a person’s daily habits. In addition, the web search data is a vital tool for collecting information about an individual’s preferences while browsing the internet. For instance, Google records all the activities of people using its browser in a search history, which makes it easier to know what the person is thinking or what he or she is planning to do. Therefore, confidential data and metadata are vital to these parties (Schneier 23).

Previously, the cost of storing data was quite expensive, and corporations and the government used to minimize the amount of information collected from an individual. However, the cost has reduced, and governments & corporations have broadened the amount of information they gather from people. They collect the information and store it forever. The surveillance methods have advanced, unlike the previous years where the police had to trail a suspect. Currently, they trail several people simultaneously just by collecting their personal data. However, the process is impossible without computers, networks, and automation systems in place. The institutions use all forms of methods to collect data about people even when it entails deploying third party connections. Furthermore, national and international security lobbyists in the private & government sectors and other enterprises directly & indirectly encourage surveillance, technology, and industry-led solutions (Lyon, Kevin, and Kirstie 172; Schneier 23).

3. Chapter Three: Analyzing our Data

The chapter outlines how corporations and governments interpret and use our data in what is called “big data” and “data mining.” The parties that collect the data use it for a myriad of purposes, which can be primary or secondary.  For instance, corporations collect vast amounts of data about their consumers used to enhance their advertisements, which is a secondary purpose of data analysis and usage. However, bug data applications allow collection, compilation, and analysis of data regarding a person’s movements, preferences, age, gender, marital status, and even religion.  The big data application has made it possible for security agencies to collect historical data about people. Mass surveillance allows the NSA to collect massive data about a person, for instance, through Facebook (Schneier 26).

The information gathered makes it easier for the agency to establish the person’s interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, the data collected gives more information about the individual’s behavior. Corporations use mass surveillance to find potential customers based on particular features or the right people to hire. Furthermore, despite our urge to remain anonymous, the organizations will pierce through our hardware systems and networks to establish our identity. The agencies collect little information and then correlate the data amassed with the available, which creates a relationship. Therefore, it is difficult to hide in the current information age. Stackpole and Eric confirm that big data analytics have played a vital role in enhancing intelligence by providing data showing suspicious patterns and broadening security data (67).

4. Chapter Four: The Business of Surveillance

The entire business of surveillance is broad. Formerly, customer surveillance involved four main streams. They first originated from companies keeping confidential client data to track their sales and purchase orders, the second was direct marketing, the third was credit bureaus that gave client information to banks, and the fourth was the government. However, obtaining this information was quite difficult since it involved intermediaries. The internet came to consolidate the entire structure and to eliminate the traditional corporate intermediaries. Consumers give their information voluntarily while transacting online on sites like eBay and Amazon. The exchange of information for services gives such corporations a leverage while spying on its clients. The corporations are in a position to customize their ads in to suit the appropriate audience rather than directing ads to the right people eliminating waste (Schneier 44).

The current smart phones users install special apps that can assist them in their daily activities. However, some of the apps developers have customized the apps, which collect confidential user data. The collected data is usually sold to third parties in the industry. Furthermore, politicians have begun using big data analytics in their campaigns. They harness support and raise funds from a particular location to significant effect based on the outcome of the analysis. The process of collecting data via the internet has proved effective because people like convenient and free. The users believe that the Internet provides them with a convenient and free platform to communicate, share information, buy products & services. Maynor asserts that the process is a give and take whereby consumers cannot access most of the services on the internet if they do not give up their personal information (123). Thus, the whole process of surveillance is entirely business.

5. Chapter Five: Government Surveillance and Control

 

The government uses different methods to obtain data about individuals, companies, and other governments. The standard form is government-to-government surveillance. Electronic espionage has become a kind of government hack in this internet age. For instance, the NSA can install malicious software on an enemy’s network with the aim of infiltrating and stealing information. Governments spy on other governments with a political and military motive albeit some of it is for commercial espionage. For instance, the US hacks into foreign corporate networks and pass information in government trade negotiation that benefits US corporate interests. Boghosian confirms that governments can work together to spy on their adversaries when they feel that they are at risk. The single global surveillance network only works if the government is sure about the other party's position (72). Such surveillance systems are effective in enhancing the security of a nation from external attacks.

Works Cited

Boghosian, Heidi. Spying on Democracy : Government Surveillance, Corporate Power and Public Resistance. San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books, 2013. Print.

Jacobs, Jay. Data-Driven Security Analysis, Visualization and Dashboards. City: Wiley, 2014. Print.

Lyon, David, Kevin D. Haggerty, and Kirstie Ball. Routledge handbook of surveillance studies. Abingdon, Oxon New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.

Maynor, David. Syngress force emerging threat analysis from mischief to malicious. Rockland, MA: Syngress Pub, 2006. Print.

Schneier, Bruce. Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World. First edition. W.W. Norton & Company, 2015

Stackpole, Bill, and Eric Oksendahl. Security strategy from requirements to reality. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2011. Print. Boghosian, Heidi. Spying on Democracy : Government Surveillance, Corporate Power and Public Resistance. San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books, 2013. Print.

 

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