Exploring Technology's Impact on Civil Liberties and Surveillance

Technology is the ultimate chameleon, taking on the characteristics of its handler. In some hands technology is a tool of treachery, while in others it morphs into a peaceful protest. In still others, it represents the bleeding edge of freedom. . . . Technology is the ultimate chameleon, taking on the characteristics of its handler. In some hands technology is a tool of treachery, while in others it morphs into a peaceful protest. In still others, it represents the bleeding edge of freedom.

Technology is not the criminal here, but the war drums in Washington make it sound that way. "Law enforcement has not shown they were thwarted in efforts [to predict or stop terrorism] because they couldn't do something," Sherri Steele, executive director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told my colleague Bob Sullivan. "To say they didn't have tools they needed is jumping to a conclusion," Steele says.

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