Thoughts on Klein's China read

     Reading Klein’s piece on “China’s All-Seeing Eye” was every interesting to me. I knew that China was a communist country and that it was very strict and watched what the people did, but I was not aware of the extent to which they watched society. The people are constantly being monitored, whether it is under radio, Internet use, or cameras set up in work places and all over the city. I found it very interesting that Klein would talk to people at U.S. companies that were supporting these tests, about the new face recognition monitoring programs being tested. The people at these companies would try to deny that they were assisting in the conducting of such things, or that what they were doing was wrong to begin with or an invasion of privacy. The most surprising thing to me was that the process of searching and watching individuals is spreading to places beyond China. The “fly clear” technology is being offered to any traveler. It is being marketed as “an easier way to travel” because you would no longer need to bring your passport and other forms of identification. This may be easier, but many people may not be aware that by getting one of these cards, they are sacrificing their identity. Now anyone can trace them and find them. Our privacy is becoming more and more violated and we are losing the benefits of freedom. Technology can be good and helpful; however it can be corrupted and used in ways to undermine some of our basic freedoms and privileges. Klein also reminds us that we must remain constantly diligent in protecting the freedoms that we have all fought so hard to obtain.