Surprising Science — April 20, 2011

Cell Phones Are the Next Big Brother

While cell phones offer liberating possibilities for the world, they also threaten personal privacy. Harvard Law School Professor Jonathan Zittrain takes this Devil’s Advocate position.

Jonathan Zittrain

While cell phones offer liberating possibilities for the world, they also threaten personal privacy. Harvard Law School Professor Jonathan Ziitrain worries about peer-to-peer privacy in particular. He argues that “anytime anything of any note happens, there are three arms holding cell phones with cameras in them or video records capturing the event ready to go on the nightly news, if necessary.” Beyond the implications this may have for celebrities fighting off the paparazzi, Zittrain is concerned about the effect this is having on our neighborhoods.

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