Loss of privacy has taken on an entirely
different meaning than it had 50 years ago. Back then it encompassed such
issues as mothers snooping through diaries, "peeping Toms,"
eavesdropping on phone conversations, listening through walls via a glass
held to the ear, or in the worst scenario, unauthorized opening of someone
else's mail- which constitutes a federal offense for ordinary citizens.
All that is changing, thanks to Big
Brother. People who secretly access the e-mail accounts or computers of
other people used to be called "hackers." Now they are known as
the United States Government. The government has the ability, in essence,
to not only "look over someone's shoulder" to read their e-mail,
but to open it without their knowledge as well. NewsMax reported on
Monday, October 16 that the Federal Bureau of Investigation's
cyber-snooping software, Carnivore, is just the "tip of the
iceberg" in the war against civil rights. Allegedly created to
track criminals, the FBI has been quietly laboring to develop new and
improved spying capabilities by updating the current Carnivore 1.3.4. to
versions 2.0 and 3.0.
The article states that the
"disclosure was flushed out into the open by a Freedom of Information
Act demand filed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center. The FBI
wasn't thrilled, and it used a heavy black marker to hide most of the
details of its souped-up snooper versions before releasing the documents.
Even so, enough information came through to make it crystal clear what the
FBI was up to. It now turns out that an enhanced Carnivore program, funded
by a $650,000 contract through January 2001, has been under way since last
November...." The alarming fact, notes Kevin Poulson [editorial
director at SecurityFocus], is that the software can also be programmed
"to watch for all the Internet activities of a particular
person."
WorldNetDaily carried a story on Friday,
October 20 which exposed another facet of this incredibly invasive
program. According to recently declassified documents, Carnivore, along
with its predecessor, Omnivore, is part of an undercover FBI surveillance
triad known as the "DragonWare Suite." The California-based
computer security firm, SecurityFocus, analyzes the documents by saying
that the DragonWare Suite can "reconstruct Web pages exactly as a
surveillance target saw them while surfing the Web." The subject's
exact surfing pattern can be recreated.
Due to the wide-ranging possibilities of
misuse, House Majority Leader and Carnivore critic, Richard Armey,
R-Texas, has asked the Justice Department to stop the program completely
until a full investigation is finished. Even if Carnivore's jaws are wired
shut, it won't stop the government's voracious appetite for meddling in
the lives of the people it is supposed to serve. The former
"information super-highway," is beginning to more closely
resemble a dark street in the bad part of town, where a wary driver needs
to keep one eye on the rearview mirror.
Trust us, we're the government
On Tuesday, October 17 the Silicon
Valley News informed their readers that one of the newest tracking
systems, technology that can track down the precise location of a cell
phone caller, is just around the corner. "Wireless carriers are in
the process of integrating that technology into their networks so every
call can be tagged with an exact location." Various ways to
accomplish this are being tested, such as Global Positioning Satellite
systems built into handsets, to sophisticated triangulation by the base
stations that send and receive cell phone signals. The Federal
Communications Commission is requiring all carriers to have 911
location-tracking systems operational by Oct. 2001.
Just how DOES the government convince
people to fall for these schemes? In much the same way as the family
doctor persuades a patient to receive a shot "for his own good."
Most of these services are touted by companies as beneficial to the
consumer. What, exactly, is the benefit to having 24 hour a day
monitoring? The Silicon Valley News answers it this way: "The
government wants to make sure that people who dial 911 on mobile phones
can get emergency help even if they don't know where they are. The
carriers, meanwhile, have an opportunity to deliver location-sensitive
information and advertisements.... Imagine a person lost in an unfamiliar
city. On a Web-enabled cell phone, the user can query for directions
without having to type in street names; the precise location is
automatically calculated at the time the call is placed." Envision
that utopian world where mankind can rest "safe and assured"
knowing that the government will always be able to find him.
The likelihood that these programs will
be abused is staggering. The government has a powerful weapon at its
disposal, and no enforceable checks and balances or accountability to
anyone. And who will be the real target of this tracking system?
Revelation 13:7-8 warns of a coming world leader who will hate God's
people "He was given power to make war against the saints and to
conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people,
language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast-
all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the
Lamb..." Christians are going to be a monkey wrench dropped
squarely into Satan's plan to rule the earth, and will need to be
punished. Matthew 24:9 says that in the last days "...you will be
handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by
all nations because of me." Perhaps Carnivore, Dragonware, and
cell phone tracking will be the tools that enable them to locate these
insubordinate citizens.
Take a number, please
Obviously the best method of containment
for the world's 6 billion people is to not let them get lost in the first
place. WorldNetDaily reported on Friday, October 20 that Hong Kong has
instituted a national identification system to keep track of its people
through electronic ID cards. Once again, this is a "good thing."
It will "better serve the community'' and will improve Hong Kong's
"high-tech image." Although scheduled to be introduced by 2003,
the cards are coming up against harsh criticism from people who think they
will include too much information and are an invasion of privacy. The
article explains that the cards would "include such information...as
name, age and fingerprint image and could also function as everything from
a driver's license to a debit card."
"He also forced everyone, small and
great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand
or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the
mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name...."
(Revelation 13:16-17) The technology is already here. Digital Angel, an
implantable ID chip will unveiled this month. Scanning is now commonplace
at grocery stores, gas stations, turnpikes, and more. It is only a matter
of time before prophecy will be fulfilled completely. The phrase "you
can run, but you can't hide" is not entirely true. There is a loving
Savior waiting with open arms to be a hiding place and refuge for all who
will trust in Him. V bm
