Internet Surveillance and the Freedom to Blog
Yesterday I attended the CAP Student Conference, which showcased the work of students within the many streams of CAP. I had an incredible opportunity to present a group project completed in ASTU this year, and was inspired by the other groups that presented on my panel. I was especially interested in a presentation done by Joey Chan, from the Individuals and Society stream, who discussed Internet Surveillance and online privacy. She called out the common, but flawed idea that if you have nothing to hide, you should not be worried about enhanced internet surveillance. Joey argued that this creates the idea that only “good” people have the right to privacy, and that everyone, whether “good” or “bad”, has something to hide. You do not have to be planning a terrorist attack to want privacy, she pointed out. One could be storing medical information online, or an example I thought of during the presentation, expressing views that are critical of the government.
When I sat down to the write this final ASTU blog, I considered how I might feel if I knew there was enhanced surveillance online, or if there was a chance a government agent would be reading these blog posts. I believe I, and many others, would feel more wary of what we were writing. Would I be less likely to criticize the Canadian Government, if there was a chance they might eventually see me as a security threat? Probably. I began to think of Miller and Shepherd, who, in their paper, discuss the genre of blogging. I think they would agree with me that the genre and exigence of blogging would change if government surveillance were to increase online. The tricky divide between public and private that blogging straddles, would likely tip more towards the public sphere, if individuals were afraid to express their private opinions online. Would a blog like Harper Watch, which keeps tabs on the current conservative government, continue to operate?
I am thankful, with this in mind and reflecting on my year of blogging in ASTU, that we were able to do so at a time when Internet Surveillance was not a prevalent part of our lives. I would encourage all those in this class, anyone who blogs and anyone who uses the Internet, to take a political stand against increased Internet Surveillance legislation, because it will affect each and every one of us.