Cell Phones and Privacy

Cell Phones and Privacy:

 

I do not think that prepaid cell phones should be banned or controlled by the law. I feel as if prepaid phones are very useful for many reasons and the good outweighs the bad. I understand that they can be abused and used for the wrong reasons, but so can everything else. This could be useful for people who are traveling, or even someone trying to avoid people having their numbers. Also they can avoid the problem of having to pay a bill every month as well as getting sucked into a phone plan that requires data bills and other things that are a pain. Also for parents who want to control their teenagers usage of phones and not worry about them going over the bill this is a great idea. As well as for people who don't depend on a phone as much as most people and only need it for occasional contact. For people with spending problems, this would allow them to control their spending and use their phones wisely.

 

This seems like a privacy that we should allow people to have because it is their own choice weather they want to have their information traced or recorded. I don't think you should be able to require someone to allow their prepaid cell phones to be tracked because you are not allowing that person their right to privacy. Overall it appears to me that the good aspects of a prepaid phone outweigh the bad ones.

Location Tracking

Location Tracking:

Tracking animals and tracking children are certainly different things. But I can see the reasons behind both. I think that tracking young children would be a very helpful idea in many ways. When I say tracking, I mean something less severe like putting it in an item of their clothing. Implanting chips into a person seems a bit crazy to me. But in the world we live in today where children are constantly getting kidnapped or running away, this could be very helpful. For example if a child went missing, you could just track them and figure out their location. I think a child under the age of 5 does not know better not to run off from their parents or jump in someones van. However, I think that by age 7 or 8 the child should know right from wrong. I would support tracking of young children for this reason. It is strictly a safety precaution and is in no way invading a small childs privacy ( i mean think about it you are changing this childs diaper!). When the child starts to get older I think it should be up them to decide if they want to be tracked for safety reasons. I think tracking a child should only be used in case of a kidnapping or if the child goes missing. Not simply because the parents wants to know if they are lying or not or just wants to keep tabs on them. In the case of tracking seniors who are forgetful or have alzheimers I think it would be a great idea. The GPS shoes sound like a brilliant idea and would be extremely beneficial. Also because it is for the purpose of their safety. All in all, the idea of tracking should only be used for safety purposes. If people abuse it to spy on their childrens every move, then they are using it for the wrong reasons. I think the idea of implanting a chip in someones body is a bit extreme so I would opt for something like a bracelet or something you could put in a shoe.

On a day like today, social media plays a huge role in circulating a major event that is occuring in large parts of the country. If I hadn't known about this big snow storm, I could have easily gone onto my twitter, facebook, or even instagram, to see peoples many posts about the blizzard. The internet really can be a wonderful thing, and in this case it can help people stay informed. Without the warning of the storm people could be trapped inside their homes without water or food for days. But all thanks to the many alerts and warnings, people are clearing out the stores to stock up for the possible power outages and harsh conditions. From the technology that can detect the storms path to the phones that allow us to stay in touch, the internet can make a huge positive influence and even save lives.