Working For A Country On The Development Of Computer Tracking Systems That Track Citizens And Their Actions: Ethics and Privacy Implications

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Tracking software: Photo by Tobias on Unsplash

Civilian tracking is becoming popular in many countries of the world. Over the years, countries have used tracking technologies to monitor their citizens for various national reasons. According to Khalifa et al., (2011), some of these technologies include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Closed Circuit Television, Global Positioning System (GPS) and Biometric Technology.

Some Of The Advantages Of Civilian Tracking Include

• Improve national security by discouraging theft and civilian misconduct.
• Stem outbreak of pandemic e.g Covid 19, monitor endangered areas and provide real-time information for disease control centres.
• Make life better for citizens of the country e.g Khalifa et al., (2011) noted that GPS tracking systems can help with the location of stolen cars for easy recovery.

As technology evolves, it becomes easier to track people with these technologies and store their information for record purposes. This system if not properly handled has a host of disadvantages including:

• Freedom of speech which is a fundamental human right would be seriously affected since individuals are monitored,
• According to Aldridge et al., (2010), This system can be accessed by unauthorized personnel and spread to other persons all over the world in a matter of seconds,
• Ethical and privacy concerns arise when the government developing these systems don’t follow compliance procedures, or do not have any in place.

Focusing on the ethical issues that may arise as a result of tracking individuals, it is important to note that countries like the USA, India e.t.c have drafted various bills to checkmate the activities of tracking systems within the country. In Nigeria, the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation of 2019 exists to regulate the activities involving the collection, sharing, usage and storage of data belonging to citizens of the country. According to Aditi et al., (2019) some of the ethical issues that may arise from these kinds of tracking systems are:

• Privacy and confidentiality,
• Obtaining informed consent,
• Accuracy of data,
• Unauthorized access to data, e.t.c

PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Working on the development of tracking systems introduces whole new privacy concerns in the society like inducing the feeling that one is being monitored, depriving citizens of their freedom of speech and personal freedom which are fundamental human rights, creating negative notions about the role of the government and also seriously undermining the place of the rule of law in the country. It becomes imperative that the government working to develop this kind of system understand the level of risks involved to constantly improve the ability to reduce threats and reduce the risks involved.

OBTAINING INFORMED CONSENT

Considering the magnitude of the risks involved in developing tracking systems, there is a need for collecting the consent of the developers working on the system in a very simple and accessible means of communication. It is also important to obtain the consent of the citizens while explaining to them the reason for collecting, storing, using and sharing their data. It is possible that at some point, developers might want out of the system for other personal reasons and so there might be a need to provide options for opt-out.

ACCURACY OF DATA

In developing tracking systems, For example, in the event of a criminal investigation, certain considerations have to be taken into account to ensure the accuracy of data acquired. In geolocation, a person who takes the route in front of a bank on the way home may be adjudged to have visited the bank. Likewise, if the same person visited a hotel beside the bank. To mitigate these types of inaccuracies, it is possible to apply a combination of tracking technologies. For instance, GPS and Biometrics help narrow down the data source and improve accuracy where it would have normally been difficult.

UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO DATA

Developers can be compromised. They can work with other countries of conflicting interests to undermine data integrity. There are risks such as attacks by malware and cybercriminals to gain access to data, improper data encryption leading to access by other parties and more. In addition, Ball et al., (2013) in a report noted that there are recorded cases where spies have gained access to encrypted data.

One of the ways out of this is to ensure developers are not compromised and that data is stored in dedicated cloud instances, encrypted and other secured protocols applied to ensure minimal threats from all forms of cyberattacks.

In conclusion, whereas some schools of thought would argue for the benefits of working for a country developing civilian tracking systems, others would argue against it, citing various privacy concerns. You can share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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