A Report on the Ethical and Legal Issues of Illegal Surveillance

This report examines the ethical issue of illegal surveillance of user data despite the use of anonymity on the internet. It explores the problem of government authorities tracking personal information without authorization, even when users employ anonymous browsing techniques like proxy servers and VPNs. The report identifies the ethical problems, the reasons behind them, and the individuals and groups responsible, including governments and hackers. It discusses the impact on affected individuals and proposes strategies to counter the issue, including the use of VPNs and the need for government transparency. The report suggests better actions, such as government acknowledgment and collaboration with IT experts, and analyzes the implications and consequences of such actions for stakeholders, concluding with a call for understanding the benefits of anonymity and protecting user's rights.

Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Problem Action Consequences Techniques...............................................................................2
Identified ethical problems.....................................................................................................2
Reason for the ethical problems.............................................................................................2
People responsible..................................................................................................................3
People affected.......................................................................................................................3
Strategies to counter the issue................................................................................................3
Better action............................................................................................................................4
Other actions...........................................................................................................................4
Person to take the best action.................................................................................................4
Implications of the best action................................................................................................4
Consequences to the stake holders.........................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................5
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Introduction
In the report, the ethical issue that has been discussed here is illegal surveillance of
user data despite anonymity. The usage of World Wide Web to hide the personal information
of an individual from the websites they have visited is known as anonymous web browsing.
By sending the web activity information through a number of routers, a user can easily
browse the web anonymously. But this does not guarantee server anonymity as the data is
vulnerable to traffic analysis (Jardine, 2015). An ethical issue rises here against the tracking
of data without the authorization of the user. It raises an ethical issue about personal
information privacy as the data from the browser plugins and cookies can be used to track the
user even if the user has hidden his or her IP address.
Problem Action Consequences Techniques
Identified ethical problems
Despite the usage of proxy sites and anonymous servers, the internet users are
repeatedly monitored by government authorities in the name of protection. Cyber criminals
have misused the anonymity provided by the proxy servers to perform illegal activities but
the consequences of their action has trickled down on the common public. Without proper
authorization from the users, the authorities collect personal information to get hold of the
criminals which has created an ethical issue (Kandpal & Singh, 2013). The ethical dilemma
occurs when the question rises about whether the remote monitoring of the public
information to catch a handful of criminals is justifiable or not.
Reason for the ethical problems
A common misconception is that anonymity helps to encourage disinhibition
and is often abused by cyber criminals to get into dishonest activities. As the proxy is not
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aware of the IP address of the user, the information can be turned over to other users. If the
user is not using a secure connection to the proxy server, other individuals can easily monitor
the web activities of the individual (Yar, 2013). Hackers often use free proxy servers to lure
individuals to use the service and steal their personal information. For example, in US, a
cyber-attack from the Chinese was used as a key argument to formulate the CISPA or Cyber
Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act which will allow the authorities to check personal
information of users without the need of a warrant (Ablon, Libicki & Golay, 2014). The
internal as well as cyber-attacks to national security is used to justify the government’s
surveillance measures on normal users. The freedom of expression of the user is highly
diminished in these cases which raises an ethical consideration. In many countries, people
cannot access internet (in cyber cafes also) without proper identification and the cyber cafes
as well as ISPs are obligated to maintain logs of the user’s browsing history. These illegal
mass surveillance of data and computers creates a data interference that affects a huge
number of users.
People responsible
The people responsible for creating this ethical issue is the government and the
hackers who use unscrupulous methods to collect user information. Without the consent of
the individuals, the government utilizes mass surveillance to track the personal data of the
user when clearly the user does not want anyone to track his or her activities but in this
modern digital age, nothing remains confined which is a huge ethical issue that must be
addressed (Reddy, & Reddy, 2014). Hackers use spywares and bots to collect personal
information despite the usage of anonymous software which is a major issue.
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People affected
The web information (the computer information and the IP address) of an individual
becomes visible in the server of the target web page when the individual opens a particular
web page. This data is utilized to track the individual. Even if the individual uses a VPN or
proxy server, it can be avoided by using an improper browser (Hyman, 2013). These
particular servers work by not sending information from the user directly but by sending a
request to the target browser. The anonymous servers work by putting a proxy (anonymous in
nature) between the website and the user and can be used to bypass restrictions where
particular site is blocked in a particular school, office or country. Users make use of this
feature to protect their personal identity.
Strategies to counter the issue
It can be accomplished with the help of VPNs or Virtual private networks, anonymous
programs such as Tor and proxy servers. The anonymous web server are used for two reasons
primarily. Firstly, it helps the user to get access to certain parts of the webpage which are not
accessible and secondly, it allow the user to bypass any application that blocks the web site
accessibility (Loader & Thomas, 2013). This helps the individual feel secure. Other solutions
such as using Hidemyass.com helps to provide a triple bypass layer to mitigate the history of
the web activity that the user is conducting enabling him to remain completely anonymous.
Better action
The better action of this ethical dilemma would be for the government to
acknowledge the mass surveillance program on the common people and ask whether or not
they are ready to share their personal information in the name of security. The government
might face a huge backlash after this revelation but ethically it is the right thing to do.
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Other actions
The government should organise a meeting with the IT experts as well as conduct a
project whether mass surveillance is a feasible action for mitigating this issue. Citizens will
always choose security over anything else and the government must realize that being a
democracy, opinions may vary from person to person. The option to install infrastructures for
proper surveillance should be also explored by the authorities as well (Broadhurst et al.,
2014).
Person to take the best action
The government officials are the only people who can take the best action related to
this ethical dilemma. The related IT experts and people who are related to the ethical
dilemma such as the stakeholders can also help in mitigating this ethical issue by voicing
their concerns and providing possible solutions.
Implications of the best action
Although the counter measures that are enforced for cyber criminals by the
government (to track user data) may affect the private users for using private enhanced
technologies, the measures are equally justified in certain cases. The scale of cyber-attacks
have doubled in the past few years. To protect the rights of citizens, the government have to
employ counter measures and tracking mechanisms for finding out the point of origin of the
attack. This cannot be done simultaneously while protecting the citizen’s right as well as the
attackers (Choo, & Grabosky, 2013). As user’s are getting aware of the risks of cyber-attacks,
more people are wanting adequate safeguards from the concerned authorities for protecting
their data. Although the private users may get affected due to the counter measures, it can
prove beneficial for the entire community in the long run.
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Consequences to the stake holders
The consequences of the best action will be an overall justifiable mass surveillance
system that collects user information after the consent of the user. The system will
incorporate advanced technologies which can collect personal information up to a certain
extent (Reddy, & Reddy, 2014). Hackers will rejoice the consequences as their internet
blueprint will be reduced but the users will also enjoy the new system knowing that no one is
checking their personal information without their consent.
Conclusion
To conclude the report, it can be stated that discontinuation of openly expressing
public opinions can result in violation of democratic rights of the individual. Although the
anonymous services can be used to steal private data and the government can justify their
mass surveillance in one way or the other, accessing private information without the user’s
permission creates an ethical dilemma which can be thoroughly debated by both parties.
Understanding the threats is the first step in mitigating the dilemma and prepare for the future
where no one have to think about whether they are tracked 24x7. Realizing the benefits of
anonymity can help the online communities to understand the utilitarian benefits of the
service and enable them to use their rights of privacy and freedom of expression in a proper
way.
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References
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data: Hackers' bazaar. Rand Corporation.
Anderson, R., Barton, C., Böhme, R., Clayton, R., Van Eeten, M. J., Levi, M., ... & Savage,
S. (2013). Measuring the cost of cybercrime. In The economics of information
security and privacy (pp. 265-300). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Broadhurst, R., Grabosky, P., Alazab, M., Bouhours, B., & Chon, S. (2014). An analysis of
the nature of groups engaged in cyber crime.
Choo, K. K. R., & Grabosky, P. (2013). Cyber crime.
Hyman, P. (2013). Cybercrime: it's serious, but exactly how serious?. Communications of the
ACM, 56(3), 18-20.
Jardine, E. (2015). Global cyberspace is safer than you think: real trends in
cybercrime. Browser Download This Paper.
Kandpal, V., & Singh, R. K. (2013). Latest Face of Cybercrime and Its Prevention In
India. International Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 2(4), 150-156.
Loader, B. D., & Thomas, D. (Eds.). (2013). Cybercrime: Security and surveillance in the
information age. Routledge.
Reddy, G. N., & Reddy, G. J. (2014). A Study of Cyber Security Challenges and its emerging
trends on latest technologies. arXiv preprint arXiv:1402.1842.
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Yar, M. (2013). Cybercrime and society. Sage.
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