Is An Aerial Satellite Image An Invasion Of Privacy?

Ain’t technology great?  Depends on who you are.  Aerial satellite imagery software is used to help people find locations (residential and commercial properties), get directions from point A to point B, and explore the world.  But it also has the ability to be abused.  As the resolution quality of an image taken from millions of miles in the sky has increased, so have concerns about the potential of these satellites to used as instruments for spying on people or catching them in compromising situations.

For example, there was an incident about a year ago in which a woman’s thong was caught in a Google Street View real-time snapshot.  She was sitting in her car wearing low-cut jeans; meanwhile, the thong she was wearing was clearly visible.  The controversy resulted in Google simply taking the image off.  But this is just one example.  Other images that have been captured include nude and semi-nude sunbathers and a man entering an adult bookstore.  Unfortunately, a video camera doesn’t know when to turn away.

Another concern are reports that the federal government has technology capable of using satellite technology to see you wherever you are, overhear your conversations, tap into your computer, and even read your thoughts.  According to some, especially conspiracy theorists, computers are capable of tracking a person’s entire life from start to finish.  While there’s no hard evidence to prove the validity of these claims, there are the accounts of those who say they have seen this technology and it does exist.

As you can imagine, any technology that could do half the stuff I’ve mentioned would be a terrible and grave infringement on a person’s rights.  Can you imagine the government being able to know you every location, action on the web, phone call, and even thought??  Wow…that’s disturbing!  That would violate not only a person’s right to privacy, but even their right to individuality.  Even if the technology does not yet exist, satellite images do have the ability to blur the line between what is considered private and what is public.  So the battle over personal liberties and how far is too far is far from over.