"Someday a stranger will read your e-mail, rummage through your instant messages without your permission or scan the Web sites you’ve visited — maybe even find out that you read this story...You might be spied in a lingerie store by a secret camera or traced using a computer chip in your car, your clothes or your skin...Perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills, or a political consultant might select you for special attention based on personal data purchased from a vendor...In fact, it’s likely some of these things have already happened to you...Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen — the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked." [Sullivan, 2006]
A lot of you would have seen this video, or at least heard of the incident that happened back in 2003. A student of Raffles Junior College from PRC was scolded in front of everyone in class, and the tutor made snide remarks at him, went on ticking him off while tearing off his assignment piece by piece. A fellow student "could not take it lying down" (that was what he was quoted to have said in the newspaper, sorry this is an old news and I was unable to find the article itself. Apparently this new got so big it was on the front cover of Home section of The Straits Times) and recorded this footage using his camera phone, and then he posted the video online. Within days, it was circulated all over the country, all students of other JCs know about it, and then the higher-ups of RJC finally got their hands on it as well. This student was later expelled from the college, while the tutor was sent for counseling and made to attend stress-management sessions (if I am not mistaken, do correct me if I'm wrong).
This marks the start of this whole topic of privacy invasion and unethical use of electronic gadgets in Singapore. The government grew concerned about it so much so that such gadgets are banned in all Army premises, and that anyone caught with it would be severly dealt with. In schools and colleges, this issue has since become a hot topic of discussion and examination questions for 'A' Levels General Papers are actually set to this as well. There is basically two sides to this: the first group of people would feel that this is unjustifiable and that voyeurism of such nature should be eliminated. One the other side, a lot of people agree that there is a lot of things in this society that people are turning a blind eye at, and that the best way to create more public awareness of all these problems and to get them eliminated is by taking footages of things like these (e.g. undesirable behaviors in public, or abuse of authority, etc etc. Remember the video made by a guy about the traffic warden parking their bikes on the double yellow line?). All big problems start small after all.
Personally, I feel that Sousveillance is fine as long as it is being exercised with restraint. One must know where to draw the line. Your friends may have done silly things that are funny and then get them recorded in the video, and they may like the footage themselves. But the joke can turn really sour when they see it up online. Things that are meant to remain within the cirlce, should remain in the circle. The best way to do this is to seek permission from the involved party whenever possible. Otherwise, be as tactful and discreet as possible.
Being discreet when in public will definitely help one defend against violation of privacy. Be careful with important things, do things swiftly, be protective but be natural about it. The human nature is one such that people get attracted or become curious about something that is different from themselves. I am not asking everyone to be clones, by all means be yourself. But that is the whole point: be yourself, nothing more, nothing less. It disgusts me when I see people who purposely dress up and then throw glares to others who look at them in any particular manner. If you want to be different, you should have expected this kind of attention coming from others and that it should not bother you. In the first place, the very fact that you dress in a particular way that is different from others means you are making a statement and you want people to notice it. People who are "self-expressive" and still complain about the attention they are getting are either putting on an act, or they are just seeking for MORE attention. Ironic? haha! More coming your way!
Man cannot destroy what he did not create. Privacy is something that we all can create, and hence, destroy. Everyday a new gadget is being invented, new better models are being manufactured. Phones with sharper pixels and video functions with higher resolutions are constantly being released into the market. Sizes of these gadgets are shrinking significantly as well, and are much easier to hide; very convenient for the "eagles" who can now scout for preys better. And guess what? Chances are that very same bunch of people who made so much ruckus and whine the loudest about issues concerning violation of privacy would be the first one to rush down the IT stores to get these latest gadgets before anyone else does, and after having done so they would go around flaunting it, and then continue whining again when something happens. That said, all these talks about violation of privacy is actually nothing but a self-inflicted cause-and-effect cycle, and who is to blame for this? I think the answer is more than just obvious.
Referemces:
Sullivan, B. (October 17, 2006). "Privacy Lost: Does Anyone Care?". Retrieved on March 10, 2007 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15221095/print/1/displaymode/1098/
7 comments:
I was of two minds when I heard about this incident. I felt the student who recorded the footage could have gone to the school admin instead, but the teacher definitely lost her cool and that wrong too.
Sousveillance is only a tool for change if it used in the right way, and shown to the right people.
I find it unfortunate that some people just use it to put it up for all to see, without considering the proper channels.
But then again sometimes creating controversy is the best way to fix things.
I think it is more than losing her cool. Listen to her! It sounded more like a measured, personal attack on the poor student. Now I obviously don't know the minute details of the two of them, but she calls "Welcome to the Global Village" outdated articles??? I mean look who's outdated!
Possibly why the student did not even think about going to the admin was precisely because the teacher's behavior incensed him so much. And I think expelling him was simply sour attitude on the higher-ups part. But then this was 2003. People might not have recognised the power of the Internet and the value of sousveillance as we do now. Nevertheless watching this video again made my blood boil again.
Right on old chum. Indeed when I was in a uniform with long pants. ^^
Hey there, saw that u chose to wrote about the same footage as me. There are pretty interesting points you brought up as this is an incident that will always remind a classic topic to debate about as many people have different schools of though regarding this matter.
I believe that whatever we do, discreet or not,we have to take responsibility for our own actions, whatever decisions we make, there must be a rationale or some thought behind it.Great power comes with great responsibility, says Ben Parker.
Hahaha! RH(CP) you so young already blood boiling ah? Then later 20yrs from now how? better take good care of your health man. LOL!!! :p
Jokes aside, I get you man, I know. I wish camera phones were out much earlier, I'd really love to show the footage of one of my ex-schoolmate who knocked a teacher out in class. (Actually I myself have thrown a jab on his nose before, and it bled quite a bit! LOL!! But that was purely accidental. He was trying to be funny with me and then there's my reflex, so woala... suayness! wahahaha!) That was a very interesting scene. This particular teacher thinks he's Bruce Lee incarnate and likes to playfully whack male students (not funny man, he uses real strength). And I was actually laughing my @$$ off when I saw him down on the floor.
Oh another thing I forgot to mention. RH, on your speculation of why the student didn't go to the sch admin and instead post it online, that could be one reason, but there is another more important one. JCs aren't exactly the cleanest environments. All sorts of dirty politics you won't get to hear of happen in there. Between a student and a tutor, who will the sch admin believe? no matter how right the students are, you know the answer. So yea, it's pretty much useless.
This is not a sexually biased statement, but however, things might have been different if a female student was involved instead.
That's why, be a man, do the right thing. Come to UB-SIM. Where students are heard. HAHAHA ;P Advertisement hoo0~!
now thanks to RH, SIM gotta start paying me everytime someone clicks on this very page. hahahaha!
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