Comment-The discrepancy betwenen an individual’s right of personal freedom and the public’s growing

The discrepancy between our personal freedom and the public’s growing need for security is a problem which is often discussed. It is very hard to find a compromise that considers both sides. As far as I am concerned, our personal freedom is untouchable and much more important than living completely secure. But the reality often works in a different way. Especially rich countries more and more focus on new technologies to assure everyone’s security. A typical example is the full-body scanner that is used at airports to check if the passengers carry along drugs or weapons. Of course it is very important to check everyone to avoid terrorist attacks, but is it really necessary to scan the naked body of the passengers? I do not think so because that constricts our privacy. Another current example is the initiation of ACTA, a contract between many governments that restricts the internet very much. If ACTA becomes accepted, social networks like facebook would not be allowed to exist anymore. In addition, the internet would have to be observed very much, for instance e-mails would be read by providers. That would also cause limitations of our personal freedom. The argument of the governments is that internet crime would decrease heavily. Of course that sounds great, but when our freedom becomes abridged I cannot accept this. On the other hand I have to say that, for instance, observation on public squares is very helpful to resolve crime. But we have to be sure that the data is treated as strictly confidential. Otherwise hackers could break into the computer and steal data. That would mean another access in our personal freedom. As I said in the beginning, it is hard to find a compromise between freedom and security, but it is not impossible. Our governments have to find a way to protect their nations, but they must not forget the right to personal freedom. Personally, I do not feel insecure, but I also do not feel restricted in my freedom yet. We have to watch out for the future and make sure that people do everything to avoid contracts like ACTA as far as they can. Our governments have to realize that we fight for our freedom, even if they just want the best for us.