New technology means new problems
Sarah Zeeck
Issue date: 11/30/09 Section: Opinion
In this day and age, almost every person in virtually every household has a cell phone - they are as common as can openers and microwaves.
And, thanks to innovations from Apple and Microsoft, cellular devices are becoming more and more refined, more like miniature computers than mini-phones.
TV commercials have announced the many wondrous "apps" or applications that can be added to iPhones. It feels like there's an app for just about everything, from food to art and weather to news.
With new technology come mistakes learned the hard way, as a current innovation demonstrates. A new application that is currently being tested is intended to assist illegal immigrants across the U.S.-Mexico border. According to NBC-San Diego, the app is titled "Transborder Immigration" tool, and it will allow users to spot "safety sites" like the Border Patrol or highways. Critics are arguing that the technology is dangerous and, in the wrong hands, could be a potential threat to our nation's security.
That may be one problem, but there are dozens more the technology will create. It seems the use of the devices are to assist immigrants in crossing from Mexican territory onto United States territory. If the intent is to avoid Border Patrol and guards, then the creators have potentially taken a poor course of action. Because technology keeps moving forward, the possibility of the phones giving away the user's location is imminent.
The intent of the app may have been good, but even good intentions beget negative consequences at times. Regardless of your stance on border crossing, the issues cannot be ignored for both sides.
As far as being a threat to national security, any tool in the hands of someone who wants to do evil can be a threat to national security. An electric drill can threaten national security if the wrong person gets his or her hands on it.
However, using the proper precautions and knowing the limitations and abilities of a tool will help users defend themselves against it. As long as the guardians of our country know how to quell the inappropriate uses of the tool, it is no longer a weapon.
Technology only becomes a weapon when it is made a weapon. If we brainstorm the possible uses and misuses of the technology we will be better prepared to handle any crises that the Transborder immigration app, as well as every other app created, could create. Until then, all we can do is hope that the app creators consider the possibilities of their creations before they become Frankenstein-ian monsters.
And, thanks to innovations from Apple and Microsoft, cellular devices are becoming more and more refined, more like miniature computers than mini-phones.
TV commercials have announced the many wondrous "apps" or applications that can be added to iPhones. It feels like there's an app for just about everything, from food to art and weather to news.
With new technology come mistakes learned the hard way, as a current innovation demonstrates. A new application that is currently being tested is intended to assist illegal immigrants across the U.S.-Mexico border. According to NBC-San Diego, the app is titled "Transborder Immigration" tool, and it will allow users to spot "safety sites" like the Border Patrol or highways. Critics are arguing that the technology is dangerous and, in the wrong hands, could be a potential threat to our nation's security.
That may be one problem, but there are dozens more the technology will create. It seems the use of the devices are to assist immigrants in crossing from Mexican territory onto United States territory. If the intent is to avoid Border Patrol and guards, then the creators have potentially taken a poor course of action. Because technology keeps moving forward, the possibility of the phones giving away the user's location is imminent.
The intent of the app may have been good, but even good intentions beget negative consequences at times. Regardless of your stance on border crossing, the issues cannot be ignored for both sides.
As far as being a threat to national security, any tool in the hands of someone who wants to do evil can be a threat to national security. An electric drill can threaten national security if the wrong person gets his or her hands on it.
However, using the proper precautions and knowing the limitations and abilities of a tool will help users defend themselves against it. As long as the guardians of our country know how to quell the inappropriate uses of the tool, it is no longer a weapon.
Technology only becomes a weapon when it is made a weapon. If we brainstorm the possible uses and misuses of the technology we will be better prepared to handle any crises that the Transborder immigration app, as well as every other app created, could create. Until then, all we can do is hope that the app creators consider the possibilities of their creations before they become Frankenstein-ian monsters.
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posted 11/30/09 @ 10:09 PM CST
I agree that with new technology come mistakes learned the hard way. But new technologies are constantly improving.
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