Essay on Dr. Faustus Vs. Dorian Gray - 618 Words

Deals With the Devil nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In the books The Picture of Dorian Gray and Dr. Faustus, both protagonists are lured into the world of evil, but by different forces. Dorian Gray and Dr. Faustus both sell their souls to the devil. However, Dorian Gray deals with the devil unknowingly, and Dr. Faustus conjures the devil. After Dorian sells his soul, he becomes an immoral criminal, and even resorts to murder. After Dr. Faustus sells his soul, he lives frivolously and entertains himself through practical jokes. So who is more evil? An innocent young man corrupted by the ideas of another? Or, a man who is bored with the world, and seeking excitement calls upon the devil? Dorian Gray is clearly more evil, because even†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, Faustus never would have been forced to have his meeting with the devil, if it hadn’t been for that book. The devil doesn’t come because the spell works, but because he knows he has something to gain if he answers the call. Si milarly, Dorian has a little yellow book that Lord Henry gave him. Dorian is so amazed with this book; he has copies made in nine different colors. Although the content of the book remains unknown, it is evident it had a profound effect on Dorian. These books were the first in the series of written documents that would eventually change the two men forever and leave both damned. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Letters play an important role in the novel and the play. Both Dorian and Dr. Faustus write letters that dramatically alter their lives. Dorian writes many letters that contain secrets. He writes letters asking for forgiveness, like his letter to Sibyl. He also writes letters to blackmail people like Alan Campbell. With every letter he writes, Dorian achieves a new level of wickedness. Dr. Faustus writes one letter that changes his life forever. This letter guarantees his soul to Lucifer. Dorian’s writes his letters intentionally to destroy other people’s lives or hurt them. Dr. Faustus’ letters destroy his own life. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Both Dr. Faustus and Dorian are damned because they sell their souls for selfish reasons. Dr. Faustus is older and

The Usefulness of Sub-Cultural Theories in Understanding...

I am going to be assessing the usefulness of sub cultural theories in understanding crime and deviance. The functionalist suggested that understanding deviance lies in the studying it function for society rather than the individual itself. Also consensus is essential for society to function. All functionalist therefore argues that forms of social control are necessary to check deviant and to maintain social order. Merton theory of anomie is based on the ideas of the functionalist. Anomie encourages deviance. Merton understood crime and deviance to be a response to the inability to achieve social goals. This is often referred to as a strain theory of crime, since Merton highlighted a†¦show more content†¦Innovation accepts societal goals but have few legitimate means to achieve those goals, thus they innovate (design) their own means to get ahead. The means to get ahead may be through robbery, embezzlement or other such criminal acts. In Ritualism, the third adaptation, individuals abandon the goals they once believed to be within their reach and dedicate themselves to their current lifestyle. They play by the rules and have a daily safe routine. Retreatism is the adaptation of those who give up not only the goals but also the means. They often retreat into the world of alcoholism and drug addiction. They escape into a non-productive, non-striving lifestyle. The final adaptation. Rebellion occurs when the cultural goals and the legitimate means are rejected. Individuals create their own goals and their own means, by protest or revolutionary activity. Merton was highly critical of competitive and ambitious social values in western society suggesting that competition and greed encourages people to break the law. The critics of Merton theory is that some say that it neglect the power relation in the whole of the society Laurie Taylor suggest the Merton theory failed to explain who creates the rules in the first place, and in whose interests these rules and values have been developed by the powerful to guarantee success. By focusing on the actions ofShow MoreRelatedassess the usefulness of Marxist approach to an understanding of crime and deviance‚Äà ´1993 Words   |  8 PagesA and elsewhere, assess the usefulness of Marxist approach to an understanding of crime and deviance’ (21 marks) There are numerous Marxist theories that help us to understand crime and deviance in different ways, however they are all based around the same ideas. They believe capitalism causes crime in three different ways including, selective law enforcement, criminogenic capitalism and ideological nature of the law. 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Case Analysis Essay for Partnership in Social work - myassignmenthelp

Question: Write about theCase Analysis Essayfor Partnership in Social work. Answer: Introduction The youth support organizations focuses upon provision of some support services especially for the young people, for improving their social living status. In this context, the social workers need to have several important skills and competencies to identify their issues and handle each case of youth service from a unique dimension, prioritizing their needs. The practice skills of a social worker help to include a practice framework, considering related theory, skills and context (Gray, 2011). The practitioner should be able to explore each case study through prioritizing the key issues embedded in this. In this context, the social worker should acquire the skills and awareness regarding the theoretical frameworks and strategies and how these frameworks can be implemented in resolving each clients issues, in individual or community settings. Being a social worker, here the case study 1, i.e. case study of 16 years old boy Max has been selected. As Max is continuously becoming demotiva ted and diverted from the social activities, a strength based approach can be undertaken for improving his social status. Therefore, this essay will concentrate on analyzing Maxs case thoroughly; identifying key issues faced by him and demonstrates appropriate theoretical consideration, based on which appropriate intervention for Max will be implemented. In the current context, the social practitioner plays a significant role in the case study based analysis. It has already been mentioned that the social worker needs to understand the case thoroughly to identify the key issues faced by the client. To proceed with the case, the social practitioner needs to follow some steps in a systematic approach, i.e. engagement of the client, assessment of the client, identifying the key issues faced by the client, planning intervention for the client based on the identified issues and evaluation of the process. In this context, the first step is engagement with the client (Payne, 2014). Initially, the practitioner needs to support the client and build a positive rapport with the client. It helps the client t develop trust for the practitioner as well as the interventions, thereby motivating the client to achieve the goal. After establishment of a positive and trustworthy relationship with the client, a thorough and holistic nature of assessment w ould be done for the client, which includes the role of the practitioner in identifying all the contributing factors in the clients current situation, including social, medical and family history of the client. After identifying the clients current needs, the support worker needs to identify the appropriate theoretical framework and implement the suitable intervention for clients recovery and revert back to the normal life. Upon implementing the interventions and engaging the client in the support framework, evaluation of the process needs to be done by the professional to identify any shortcomings in the process, which can be rectify in the further process to ensure expected outcomes for the client (Trevithick, 2012). In the current case study of Max, the strength based approach would be implemented and the evaluation would focus upon the ability of the social worker to promote clients involvement in the theoretical framework and ensuring the improvement of process of clients life. In the current case study, the primary client is Max, who is a 16 years old boy. Max has left his home 8 months ago. Since leaving his home, Max has significantly suffered for survival, as he had no permanent residency. He started to live with his friends and tried to live with his grandmother. Even, he has spent nights on the streets, stopped attending school. He attended that the youth support service after hearing from one of his friend that he would gain food and would be able to charge his mobile at this centre. However, he did not have an accommodation and was not attending to school at that time (Maidment Egan, 2016). Thus, it has been revealed that Max is not concern about his housing or schooling; rather he is concerned about charging his mobile and has food, so that he could survive anyway. However, the issue is that Max is unable to recognize the need for attending school and building his career to improve his living standard. Reviewing his case, it has been revealed that Maxs mother and stepfather lives in a town close to the support service centre, whereas his biological father has no contact with him and his family since he was a baby. Maxs sister Verity has been seen to have a normal lifestyle, attending university interstate. Max also revealed that one of the key reasons for leaving his home is to stay away from his stepfather; therefore, it is clear that Max does not like his stepfather to stay with them. On the other hand, Max has the habit of marijuana use, which is being hindered by his mother at home; this is another reason for leaving his home. Now the key concern of Max is that his mother Justine has asked him to see her and sort the issues out. Max is confused about what he needs to do; it is because, in one hand, if he returns back to home, he would need to stay with his stepfather, in other hand, if he does not return to home, his survival is at crisis. Therefore, the youth support and case management team have to provide him right solution for the current issues, faced by Max, while considering the maximum benefit of Max from the support service related solutions regarding his lifestyle improvement (Howe, 2009). After analyzing Maxs case, it has been revealed that several issues are contributing the negative life events faced by Max. Now Max needs to decide whether he should g back to his home and live in an environment, which does not like, or he should not return to home and struggle for survival. In Maxs case, other secondary clients are Maxs mother, Justine, his stepfather, Michael as well as grandmother, Thelma. It is because; he needs the support from his family member to improve his situation. In this context, it has been revealed that what is the cause of his disliking towards his step father. He has also dropped his school, which needs to be considered with high priority (Pattoni, 2012). Moreover, he has been argued with his mother regarding the use of Marijuana. As Max is a teenager, with several different crises in his life, it is more important to support him positively, showing his strengths, which can be helpful for him to resolve these issues, instead of pointing out his shortcomings and negative behaviors. Because, this process may demotivate him further as well as may make the issue more critical, which difficult for Max to overcome. In this context, strength based practice is suitable to be used. This social theoretical practice emphasizes on the strengths and self-determination of the client to achieve the goal. According to this theoretical framework, the client is seen as resourceful and resilient in the face of adversity (Goldberg, Muir Kerr, 2013). This approach is suitable for being implemented in those cases, where the individual outcomes like quality of life, employment and health need to be improved. In societal level, the strength based approach influences clients positive views and focuses away from blame or judgment. The refore, this approach would help Max not to be judgmental towards his step father and Maxs mother to blame Max, instead would prioritize their strengths to resolve Maxs issue. This approach promotes the social support worker to consider the assets of clients to maintain and meet their social wellbeing, deal with social issues, family issues as well as health issues. A theory that is suitable to be implemented in Maxs case is attachment theory. Attachment theory demonstrates dynamics of short and long term interpersonal relationships between individuals, i.e. how individual respond in a relationship, when hurt, threatened, isolated or other negative consequences. In this context, Maxs relationship with family background, parenting style, experiences of separation and loss and quality of attachment relationship can help the social worker to identify the key issues regarding Maxs current issue and the way to mitigate those. Several studies have shown that lack of parental responsiveness and inappropriate parental style and emotional support are contributing significantly in the homelessness of young teenagers. According to the attachment theory, Max has revealed an avoidance attachment from his biological father, as he left him and mother when Max was 3 years old; on the other hand, Maxs stepfather may also similarly have avoidance attachment, alth ough it is not clear from the case study and should be investigated through the intervention plan (Howe, 2012). Thus, Max is unable or unwilling to share his feelings and thoughts with others and feel insecure, rejected and self critical. Thus, instead of highlighting his negative attitude, strength based approach should be implemented to understand the root of negative attachment, while supporting him to build capacity to improve his self esteem and security. Through proper counseling and thorough communication with both of his parents may enhance his security level and attachment pattern, thereby improving his negative behavioral consequences. Overall, his self esteem would be strength and Max would be able to prioritize his current needs, i.e. need for return back to home and focus on his studies (Erdman Caffery, 2013). Analyzing the case from the strength based theoretical framework, it has been revealed that the social workers need to influence Max to focus on his strengths and self-determination to deal with his current situation. For instance, the social support worker needs to motivate Max regarding his positive relationship with his mother and other family members, which is important for him to carry on his studies and shape his career, which would lead to his bright future. Therefore, the social support worker should affirm Maxs resilience and enabling capabilities. Max is suffering from reduced self-esteem and the key focus of the support intervention is to increase his self resilience. Involving his family members would help Max to realize the strength of his family and his need for their support. According to this approach, counseling sessions for Max would be developed. These counseling sessions would be focused on enhancing his self-esteem and improving his life standards. In this contex t, Heard, McCluskey and Lake (2012) argued that positive change in the situation occurs in the context of authentic relationship. Client needs to know that someone is there for him and would be there unconditionally. Therefore, Max need to build trust towards the interventions for believing this fact. On the other hand, Maxs mothers need should also be analyzed, as she does not like Max to use marijuana. Therefore, Maxs supportive plan needs to involve a health promotional plan for both Max and his mother, where both of them would gain a mutual understanding regarding the pros and cons of marijuana use (Ginsburg et al., 2017). Motivating Max to gradually decrease his marijuana abuse would also promote his positive thinking and strengthen the relationship with his mother. Based on Maxs physical, emotional and psychological condition, he can be referred to a rehabilitation centre. The next problem is living with his step father. Here also, Maxs strength of communication would be motivated to attend a counseling session with his step father. In the session, both of them would be able to talk directly with each other. The counselor would help them to explore each of their problems with other. Max never wanted to stay with his step father, irrespective of understanding or attempting to mitigate the issue with his stepfather. Maxs step fathers issues related to Max would also be analyzed for identifying whether he is willing to mitigate the issue with Max or not. Communication is the key way to improve interpersonal understanding, improve trust and mitigate issues. Thus, this tool would be used in case of Max to mitigate his issues with his step father. Through the counseling session, Max would undergo capacity building process to achieve his life goals (Chapin, 2014). The third issue identified in Maxs case is that he is not attending school, since he left home, which is ceasing his career growth. Therefore, the strength based approach would promote the social support workers to carry on the holistic assessment of Max for identifying the key factors contributing to his school drop. In this context, it has been found that Max is more concerned about the basic needs for his survival, i.e. food and shelter; however, as he is facing crisis to gain these basic needs, he is unable to think about the negative consequences of his school dropout. Through counseling and involvement of his family member, the issue of leaving his home can be resolved, which would help Max to think positively regarding returning to his school again. Continuous support and motivation would be needed to make him understand the need for his education for building his career growth (Edidin et al., 2012). However, Max may experience several issues, while returning to his school, li ke bullying, isolation and other types of violence, for which he needs capacity building counseling, which would help him to identify and strengthen his self esteem and determination. Support from his family is crucial for the overall well being of Max and continue with his studies. Hyman, Aubry and Klodawsky (2011) claimed that in social support workers, especially in case of people with behavioral issues and working with youth case management, strength based approach is suitable to be used, as it motivates the individual to identify their key issues and right way to proceed while dealing with the issues. Whereas other approaches include highlighting negative behavior of the individual for the sake of modifying those behavior in the social care context; but these approaches may be harmful or lead to negative consequences of the individually, especially for the teenagers like Max, as he has experienced inappropriate parenting style since the separation of his biological parents. Thus, the support workers should handle the case of Max through sensitively, instead of highlighting the negative traits and highlighting the areas of his strength, where he can build on to improve his living standard and ensure a bright future. Therefore, the intervention approaches and theoretical framework undertaken for Max is suitable. In conclusion, it can be said that Max is undergoing a critical situation, which has promoted his homelessness, unsocial behavior and reduced health outcomes. The youth support service has significantly identified his current needs and the root causes of his issues, which are the poor attachment with his family, inappropriate parenting style and lack of positive support. Through the attachment theory and strength based approach, Maxs case have been identified, the strength based approach helped in implementing appropriate intervention for Maxs improvement. One key recommendation for Maxs family is that Max should gain in-depth emotional and physical support from his family, for his overall well being. In this context, positive support, relationship building and communication has been focused to be the key ways of his improvement. Finally, the evaluation of these approaches has also been done. Reference List Chapin, R. (2014).Social policy for effective practice: A strengths approach. Routledge. Edidin, J. P., Ganim, Z., Hunter, S. J., Karnik, N. S. (2012). The mental and physical health of homeless youth: a literature review.Child Psychiatry Human Development,43(3), 354-375. Erdman, P., Caffery, T. (Eds.). (2013).Attachment and family systems: Conceptual, empirical and therapeutic relatedness. Routledge. Ginsburg, K. R., Kinsman, S. B., American Academy of Pediatrics. (2017).Reaching Teens Strength-Based Communication Strategies To Build Resilience and Support Healthy Adolescent Development. Goldberg, S., Muir, R., Kerr, J. (2013).Attachment theory: Social, developmental, and clinical perspectives. Routledge. Gray, M. (2011). Back to basics: A critique of the strengths perspective in social work.Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services,92(1), 5-11. Heard, D., McCluskey, U., Lake, B. (2012).Attachment therapy with adolescents and adults: theory and practice post Bowlby. Karnac Books. Howe, D. (2012). Attachment theory.Social Work Theories and Methods,75. Howe, D.(2009)A Brief Introduction to Social Work TheoryUK:PalgraveMacMillan Hyman, S., Aubry, T., Klodawsky, F. (2011). Resilient educational outcomes: Participation in school by youth with histories of homelessness.Youth Society,43(1), 253-273. Maidment, J., Egan, R. (2016).Practice skills in social work and welfare: More than just common sense. (3rd Ed) Crows Nest, NSW: Allen and Unwin. Pattoni, L (2012) Strengths based approaches for working with individuals: Insight 16. Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRSS). Retrieved fromhttps://www.iriss.org.uk/resources/insights/strengths-based-approaches-working-individuals Payne,M.(2014)Modern Social Work Theory.(4rdEd.) UK: Palgrave MacMillan Trevithick,P. (2012).Social work skills and knowledge: a practice handbook,4th Ed. McGraw-Hill, Open University Press.

Surveillance Technology How it Paves the Way to a Crime-free Society Essay Example

Surveillance Technology: How it Paves the Way to a Crime-free Society Essay In today’s world of convenience and speedy transactions, where identity it defined not by genes but by strings of zeros and ones, it would appear that privacy is a luxury only a hermit living in a cave can enjoy.These days, you can find out anything and everything at a click of a button. Technology is advancing at breakneck speed. The internet has made communication easier, opening channels that bring people closer to each other even without physical interaction. Emails, cellphones, instant messengers, VoIP communication is easy and cheap these days and so is spying on people’s conversations, and indirectly, people’s private lives.Occasionally, messages would pop-up on my instant messenger inviting me to try a service called â€Å"chat detectives.† They claim to be able to monitor people’s conversations over the internet, so people who are unsure of their spouse’s faithfulness can use their service to find whether their spouse is cheating o r not.I had also already been victimized by spam mail flooding my mailbox. But little did I know then that such events were consequences of surveillance systems that I had unknowingly enlisted myself into.It is the nature of human beings to be curious. It was curiosity that led us to this age of modernization. And I often wonder if curiosity, too, would lead to our downfall. After all, even with its nine lives, curiosity still killed the cat.Surveillance is but an expression of our curiosity. As defined by Wikipedia, it is the monitoring of behavior. The word â€Å"surveillance†, literally means â€Å"watching over† in French, and is now used to pertain to all forms of observation and monitoring, and not just visual observation. â€Å"Systems surveillance is the process of monitoring the behavior of people, objects or processes within systems for conformity to expected or desired norms in trusted systems for security or social control.† (Wikipedia)The public or common conception of surveillance is that it is â€Å"observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment,† such as eavesdropping, telephone tapping, directional microphones, covert listening devices, closed-circuit television, GPS tracking, electronic tagging, CCTV Images, and many others. (Wikipedia)Surveillance is actually a daily practice of human beings, albeit unconsciously. Even far flung communities that cannot be reached by modern technology practice the habit of observing each other’s lives. Neighbors spy on each other and spread unjustified rumors about each other. This is the most common form of surveillance, of which almost every human being is guilty of.Why do you think the â€Å"Big Brother† show is so popular? What is so entertaining about a show that records the daily activities of people living together in one house for a few months? It is because we are often intrigued by the events that happen in other people’s lives. When we find nothing of interest in our own lives, we turn to the lives of others for entertainment.Advantages of Surveillance Technology1. National SecuritySince the 9/11 terrorist attack on USA, the level of surveillance conducted by the government had increased. The national governments have the most powerful surveillance systems, because they are entitled to it by the law. They have access to a variety of information from various sources including private entities such as corporations that have data about their clients stored in their databases. They can immediately draw up profiles of persons or groups who they suspect are plotting acts of terrorism.The government believes it is necessary to perform surveillance on various entities suspected of planning or organizing terrorist acts. The government justifies that threats are everywhere and so preventive steps must be taken to counter organized acts of terrorism such as the attack on the twin towers. In this design, the government pre-em pts terrorist movements and acts accordingly before the citizens are placed in danger. (Wikipedia)2. Crime Preventionâ€Å"Besides fighting terrorism, digital security systems installed in public places, buses, or retail centers can deter crime, provide the police with leads, help citizens feel safer, and improve the economy of a crime-stricken area,† Alice Osborn writes in an article for the Video Surveillance Guide.Public Video Surveillance is the primary tool that most European countries nowadays use to monitor population movements and prevent terrorism. According to some research, the camera surveillance systems in the UK prevent crimes through panopticism. The citizens, aware that they are being monitored, are discouraged from committing crimes simply because the surveillance systems can easily identify them. (Nieto, 1997)â€Å"Public video surveillance in the UK began very unassumingly in 1986, on a single square mile industrial estate outside the English town of Kings Lynn. Three CCTV video surveillance cameras were used and their impact was immediate. In the years before the cameras were installed, there had been 58 crimes (mostly vandalism) recorded on the estate. In the two years following the installation, there were no crimes reported. Subsequently, cities and towns across Great Britain began using this crime prevention measure. By 1994, over 300 jurisdictions in the country had installed some form of public video surveillance,† Nieto writes.This is perhaps one of the reasons why UK enjoys one of the lowest crime rates in the world.Through the psychology of the panopticon, surveillance technologies become a useful tool for crime prevention. Although they might not always be seen, people â€Å"think† that they will be seen, so they perform self-monitoring and the incidence of crimes are lowered.;3. Corporate Management and GovernanceEmployee monitoring and surveillance is a growing trend nowadays. Many companies and organization s now find this technology beneficial to their businesses. Companies employ surveillance technology as a means of protecting the company’s as well as the client’s interest. Some objectives for implementing surveillance measures include: maintenance of security and confidentiality of client records; protection against internal and external threats to the security and integrity of such records; and protection against unauthorized access or use of client records or information that could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to the client. (Wakefield, 2004)Although such regulations bring up â€Å"trust† concerns, companies stress that â€Å"trust is not the issueclient information privacy and security are. Data security laws have effectively elevated the privacy and safety of client information above the privacy expectations of employees. Furthermore, legal experts advise that firms should remove all expectations of privacy in the workplace. They have to, or they risk being found noncompliant with security laws and exposed to other costly litigation. Legal compliance and liability are two of the top three reasons why managers are monitoring employees.† (Workplace Monitoring and Surveillance Report, 2001)Companies can employ two types of monitoring systems, network surveillance and email monitoring. In network surveillance, internet activity is logged and recorded. Some companies even go as far as installing invisible â€Å"keyloggers† that record the keystrokes made into a computer. Email monitoring software scans emails sent to and from the employees for keywords that would signal unacceptable or illegal messages. â€Å"In one recent incident, the New York Times relates that a sexual harassment suit at Chevron cost the company US $2.2 million when an employee sent coarse messages over the company e-mail system.† (Wakefield, 2004)â€Å"Workplace monitoring and surveillance is a sensible means to comply with federal data security statutes. It also provides additional liability protection for the firm. Monitoring promotes the personal protection of employees by reducing or eliminating instances of workplace harassment. Balancing monitoring and employee privacy is achievable with minimal stress when organizations inform employees of the purpose of monitoring activities, set privacy expectations and create reasonable monitoring policies. Firms that use electronic monitoring and surveillance to comply with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act may find that the added benefits (i.e., protecting organizational assets, preventing misuse of company resources and protecting the firm from legal liability) are worth it.† (Wakefield, 2004)Of course, there is a lot that a company has to gain from monitoring its employees, but whether such actions step on the boundaries of individual privacy rights is still a subject for further debate. The bottomline is, employees should know well enough that the information th at they come across in their work as well as the equipment that they use to access the internet and send emails are not their own, and so this fact gives their employer some right to monitor their actions.;4. Economic ExchangeNowadays, many companies lawfully trade information about clients or prospective clients. Many businesses have thrived on information coming from market surveillance. Companies buy information from agencies that collect data. These companies often use the data they acquired for marketing and advertising purposes. (Wikipedia)I often wonder why websites that need registration require so much information. They ask about individual’s personal information, interests, and lifestyle. People often give these information freely in exchange for the services the websites have to offer. The websites, in turn use the demographics they obtained to further broaden their business. Market trending becomes easier and new businesses and opportunities become easier to ident ify.;5. Parental monitoringToday’s technology allows for retrieval of information at a single click of a button. There are no restrictions as to what kind of information can be found on the internet. And these information are freely available to our children. Not all information on the internet is safe for our children. Our children might be exposed to inappropriate material such as can be found in porn sites.It is a sad fact, but the internet is not a safe place for children. Chat molesters are known to frequent chat areas and arrange meetings with unsuspecting children. (Magid, 2003)With surveillance software, parents can monitor the websites that their children visit as well as the people they connect with online. In this way, parents can ensure that their children do not stray into harm’s way.;6. New Trends – Inverse Surveillance TechnologyInverse surveillance stems from the idea that ordinary citizens can monitor the actions of other people, especially thos e in power. Inverse surveillance is â€Å"practice of reversalism on surveillance, e.g., citizens photographing police, shoppers photographing shopkeepers, and passengers photographing cab drivers who usually have surveillance cameras in their cabs.† (Wikipedia)This is also the mechanism behind the success of many environmental organizations in stopping activities that threaten the environment. One example is the Transport Canada Dash 8 pollution surveillance aircraft introduced late last year. The aircraft is equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance equipment that could better detect marine polluters. The new technology covers broader areas of observation even in challenging weather conditions. This technology is not only useful for detecting oil spills but can track those who should be held responsible for polluting the waters as well. Such technologies further strengthen Canada’s commitment to â€Å"protecting its marine wildlife and ocean environment.† (T ransport Canada; Government of Canada)Indeed, surveillance technology can be used to promote our social, cultural, and environmental responsibility.;Disadvantages of Surveillance Systems1. Extreme Government ControlThe main argument of antagonists to the use of surveillance systems is that these technologies blur the line that protects privacy. By allowing government systems access to our private information, we are granting them control over our lives and thereby relinquishing our right to privacy.â€Å"New technologies are radically advancing our freedoms, but they are also enabling unparalleled invasions of privacy,† laments the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).Surveillance technology is not fool-proof. There had been many cases of people being wrongly arrested because of mistaken identities or erroneous data from surveillance technologies.Technology is not the problem though, the EFF argues, â€Å"rather, the law has yet to catch up to our evolving expectations of an d need for privacy.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Privacy rights are enshrined in our Constitution for a reason — a thriving democracy requires respect for individuals autonomy as well as anonymous speech and association. These rights must be balanced against legitimate concerns like law enforcement, but checks must be put in place to prevent abuse of government powers.† (EFF)Again, this is a trust issue. Can we trust our government to not use the information they can obtain to gain absolute power? Can we trust our privacy and security to systems that covertly acquire information about us and store the data for government use?As dictated by the law, the government can acquire any information from any source in the name of national security. Even private corporations are obliged to provide their clients’ personal information to the government when required by the latter.Surveillance has two faces. â€Å"It can act to curtail rights through, for example, reinforcing divisions with in society, or it can be a vital tool in preventing and detecting crime. For citizens to accept and consent to certain forms of surveillance, that is to say its positive face, the state should be accountable for its actions. It cannot be left with an unfettered discretion to determine why and where it carries out surveillance on, and on behalf of, its citizens, without some form of legal responsibility. The governors and the governed should be subject to the law.† (Taylor, 2002)To prevent the abuse of power, we, as citizens of a free country, must remain vigilant. Power can be abused only if we allow it to be. There must be a check-and-balance mechanism in place that curtails the abuse of authority, especially in the usage of surveillance technology. The government is not the all-powerful and intimidating entity we perceive it to be. It too has its flaws and holes just like any organization. The government is still bound by the law that protects individual’s rights, and if an individual feels that his/her rights had been violated, there are various institutions ready to step in and provide assistance, institutions that are independent from the government’s control.2. Identity Theftâ€Å"Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the United States. Criminals are using readily available personal information to steal billions of dollars, and make life miserable for hundreds of thousands of Americans. Its a crime that can be easy to commit, and very difficult to solve.† (Gunderson, 1999)Identity theft, in internet-based definition, is the assumption of another person’s financial identity by obtaining a person’s personal information such as name, address, date of birth, social security number, credit card number, and employer. (Hole, 2007)Nearly 10 million Americans were victims of identity fraud for the first 9 months of 2003 alone. (Hole, 2007)Identity theft is not a new thing. In the movie â€Å"Catch Me If Y ou Can†, a 19-yr old Frank Abagnale, Jr. devised an ingenious method of identity theft. He forged checks and assumed people’s identities for his personal exploits. The movie is loosely based on real events that transpired in the 1960s. Back then, methods for identity theft were limited, there were no complex gadgets and technologies to pinpoint the true identity of a person.Nowadays, cyber technology has made identity theft such an easy crime to commit. Information about us is readily available from various institutions and databases. There are â€Å"phishing† technologies that allow perpetrators to pose as legitimate websites asking for your personal information such as bank account and credit card numbers.Spyware can be installed in your PC, tracking your transactions in the internet and storing information that can be used to steal your identity.Identity theft is one of the top spreading crimes nowadays. Anybody can do it without even leaving their homes or hi ding places. This is one of the disadvantages of the information superhighway.Consumers must protect their personal information and make sure that they are giving it out to legitimate individuals or entities when they perform financial transactions online.The convenience that we enjoy from modern technology does not come without a price. We can buy merchandise online and save time and effort in not having to go to stores, but in exchange, we might get into bigger trouble if we transact with illegitimate websites.;3. Invasion of PrivacySex scandals abound the internet. Many of those seen in these videos did not even know that they are being filmed. Film stars are hounded by the paparazzi and their every action is recorded. These acts constitute invasion of privacy, and modern surveillance technologies such as high-end cameras serve to simplify and proliferate these invasions of privacy.Most people are unaware of the dangers of storing private information in their technological gadget s. PDAs and cellphones, for example, are used to store nude pictures and video recordings. If these gadgets get stolen, then the risk of public exposure becomes greater.The right information in the wrong hands can prove devastating to the owner of the information. Surveillance technologies make it harder for ordinary people to protect their right to privacy.But privacy, in itself, is a vague concept. There is even no definitive mention of it in the constitution, just mere allusions to the context.What is really lacking is accountability. The design and functions of new communication systems must be able to put up and protect itself from external or third-party manipulations leading to criminality.â€Å"The standard reaction to the problem of surveillance is to demand the protection of privacy. This article, however, argues that the conventional notion of privacy, based, as it is, on the separation of the individual from his/her environment, is no longer useful in the context of ubi quitous electronic communication. Rather than defending ever shrinking areas of privacy, we should refocus our efforts and demand accountability from those design and employ the new communication systems.† (Stalder, 2002);Do Surveillance Technology Work?Yes, I believe it does, but not always. Like all human inventions, surveillance technology cannot be 100% efficient. The technology is only as efficient as the people or organizations who wield it.Britain’s 4 million video cameras monitoring the streets may not have prevented the London bombings, but the derived footages did serve to bring the perpetrators to justice. (Yang, 2005)â€Å"Tomorrows surveillance technology may be considerably more effective. But each uptick in protection will typically come at the cost of more intrusion into the privacy of ordinary people. For now, the public seems to find that trade-off acceptable, so scientists around the world have intensified efforts to perfect the art of surveillance, hoping to catch villains before they strike.† (Yang, 2005)Safety does not necessary have to come at the cost of privacy but in today’s society, we must face the fact that not everyone can be trusted. Surveillance technology, in the hands of criminals, can be a dangerous tool, but when wielded by responsible hands, it can pave the way to a crime-free society.After all, surveillance technology is a double-edged sword. What can harm us can also be our redemption. All we have to do is be vigilant and smart about our actions and protect our valuable information as much as we can.As Howard Rheingold aptly puts it:â€Å"Were being watched. In an age of theft-control, targeted marketing, and ubiquitous anti-terrorism surveillance, theres precious little we can do to stop being observed wherever we go. But we can watch back. What will that do? Maybe we cant know until we try.†;