Essay on Technology: Good or Bad?

Nowadays there is increased use of technology to control and monitor not only people’s actions but also what they are saying. Most of the time, people do not know that they have been tracked through their mobile phones or security cameras. In my opinion, the disadvantages of using technology in this way outweigh the advantages because this can lead to excessive control from authorities and to a significant reduction of people’s privacy.

Firstly, although technology has consistently reduced crime rates due to a major control from authorities, the use of technology has dramatically increased government population control. It is now possible to monitor everyone’s messages and calls but this can be considered as a dangerous phenomenon, which can lead authorities to use this kind of technology for propaganda or to have people under control. For instance, the Chinese government is using such technology to control people daily and everywhere. As a result, the Chinese population is not allowed to speak or act freely. Given that, tracking people via security cameras and mobile phones can become extremely threatening, especially for democratic countries.

On the other hand, tracking people through mobile phones and security cameras can be seen as unconstitutional in democratic systems. In democratic countries, people have the right to maintain their own privacy and there are aspects of their private life that should not be monitored. For example, voting is a free and fair individual right of every citizen, and monitoring mobile phones could be a way to steal information regarding personal political preferences. For these reasons, the use of this kind of technology should be strongly discouraged.

To conclude, despite technology allows authorities to prevent crimes, the disadvantages of using this kind of technology far outweigh the advantages. In the near future, for the reasons discussed previously, it might become a serious threat to democratic countries.