Have we shot ourselves on the foot with globalization? This should be the talking point of all who values the benefits ushered in by the likes of Facebook, Twitter, WeChat, Amazon and the rest. There is no better place to access the benefit of globalization and its impact rather than in areas of digital communication technology. It has over the years marveled many and continues to influence lives in many ways or another-good or bad. Recently, not long after 9/11, the decoupling of digital communication benefits has left many asking, is it worth the hype and backlash? This has resulted to many states rolling back the red carpet.
The war on terror and other related crackdown by government does poses one big question; how long shall we continue to enjoy the benefits of globalization with regards to digital freedom? Doesn’t it infringe on the freedom that individuals are meant to have? The digital space era once considered the greatest in human innovation has today become an area where increased government activity are so much felt. It’s status is considered as the provable ‘Trojan horse.’ It is held by some States with great disdain, to others with suspicion-State actors weaponized domain to undermine one another. To States, it poses unimaginable threat to sovereignty as various government would want us to believe. It is true, but aren’t we moving too fast, the end result is that, it is impeding on the rights of citizens to freedom of speech.
The fact that the space has become explosive domains for both good and bad guys should not take away privacy which is sacrosanct to freedom itself. Just as the FBI director pointed out ‘Just as technology has become a force multiplier for the good guys, it has become a force multiplier for all sorts of bad guys – for terrorists, hackers, child predators, and more.’
The fight to control this space may well be justified given constant challenges posed by the enumerated societal ills within States not excluding the use of ransomware that could disable critical infrastructure to those of act of terror. It is important that every State act should be done within the limits of the law. It is well known that when States crawls are held to de-tangled is hard because every inch they occupy are never easily given back-limitless control of Westphalian style. The knowledge that some alien are snooping on us be it government or some weird fellow should make our skin rise in protest. The abuse of digital technology as a means of censorship or monitoring of citizens undermines all freedom most especially the kind herein discussed.
As the territory of states becomes much hard to distinguish, given the high infiltration of what government would call rogue element in ‘User-controlled default encryption’ which is said to be a real challenge for law enforcement. Notwithstanding, the line between government over reaction and inaction could blurs the line of common sense and by encroaching on this rights or free space becomes unattainable to freedom. The precedence set is problematic because autocratic regimes uses these excuse as opportunity to act with impunity on their citizens, as has been the case in recent days around the world. We have seen increased government activity in snooping on individuals with the view of arresting supposed threats but such threat to state continues unabated. This means some states are either using it to maintain their grip on power against the wishes of the people by targeting the opposition. The problem is that of blurring the lines of decency between ‘Privacy and security.’ The resultant effect are that fears are generated, policies are derived through emotional which gives room for complacency.
The debate between ‘Privacy and security’ should be an on going discussion not subjectively driven. It requires an in-depth study that helps identifies cause as well as effect of today’s policies on our future freedom.
Finally, a critical study should drive current problematic given the way various governments have gone about solely devising and enacting laws that suits them which is subject to abuse. The bad actors identified could use these flaws in the laws to advance their mode of operations keeping government caged-in to perpetual evil. This provides room to compromises the good citizens in between the fight for digital freedom-in government verses the bad crazy masked men or women in an unknown corner of the globe.
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