The invation of privacy and the internet

Lately there was a lot of debate in Greece concerning the installation of surveillance cameras in Greece. Many newspapers have expressed the view that the installation of cameras will enable the authorities to be able to invade our personal lives and harm civil liberties. One of this newspapers is Free Press (Ελευθεροτυπία).At the same day that I was reading the pompous headlines of the newspaper against surveillance cameras I was reading inside an article that was referred to the department that combat internet crime an article in favor with the title “www internet salvation for 4 children”.

It was arguing that 4 children were saved from having committed suicide by the internet police department as the police notified their parents and told them that their children are thinking of committing suicide. In one instance a person that was playing an online game (line age or wow) was saying in the chat room that he was thinking of ending his life. Another girl was saying this to her friends via e-mail and another was saying this through his blog.

It’s bizarre for a newspaper that is against surveillance cameras to be for internet censorship even if this is supposed to be for an allegedly good reason. The fact that the teenagers were saying to friends that they were thinking of committing suicide is surely something that requires attention but this is not the role of the internet crime police. Moreover, it poses questions on the liberty of expression via internet.

The question is that if the department of internet crime can invade our personal privacy even for the threat of suicide this means that it can repeat it in other instances. It also indicates that what happens in a chat room, what you may say in an e-mail or in your blog might lead the police to knock on your door. But people believe that if this serves a good reason then it is correct. However, who defines what is a good reason for invading our privacy and what are the implications for freedom of speech via the internet? This is of particular interest to people that communicate their views inside blogs and provokes further thoughts on censorship, liberty and the penalization of free speech.

(art by krecha)