Read the text and answer the following questions:

Read the text and answer the following questions:

1) Which new technologies have appeared recently?

2) How are they used?

3) Do they cause any moral problems? Why (not)?

Surveillance technologies

Did you know that somebody somewhere knows everything about you - what you buy at the supermarket, who you call on the phone, which videos you rent and even what you like on your pizza! Most of us are aware of the fact that every time we use a credit card, phone card, cash card or supermarket card, our personal information is being recorded somewhere. This is the price we pay for the convenience of using cards instead of cash. We have even accepted the fact that nothing we do on our computer is ever completely private.

You might think that you have never been on TV, but you are wrong. CCTV (closed circuit TV) cameras are everywhere! They are in shopping centers, at ATMs, inside buildings and even on our roads and motorways. They are operated by the police and private security companies, and they are there to discourage crimes such as muggings, shoplifting and carjackings. They also watch the roads for people speeding, and more. In some buildings there are even cameras in smoke detectors, clocks and exit signs. They keep track of where you are and what you are doing all day, every day.

In the very near future you will no longer have to worry about forgetting your computer password, your cash card number or even your keys, because your body will be your ID. Finger scanning, which is similar to fingerprinting, is already being used by large companies to identify employees. Face recognition is another growing area of ID technology, as are voice and eye recognition. Something quite new on the market is footstep identification. Using special floor tiles, computers are able to identify people from the way they walk. This technology will let your employer or your teacher know exactly where you are and what you are doing while you are at work or at school.

Locating you when you are not at work or at school is also becoming easier. GPS (Global positioning Systems) technology already exists, and in less than a minute it can find out, via satellite, exactly where you are. Some car rental companies are already using this technology to keep track of their vehicles. Mobile phone companies are even planning to use this technology in all their phones. This means that when someone makes a call on their mobile phone, or even if they simply have their phone turned on, they can easily be located.

Identity cards are also getting 'smarter'. Many countries already have a system which reacquires their citizens to carry identification cards. These cards usually include personal information such as name, address and birth date as well as a personal identification number. However, in the near future, these cards will also contain a microchip which will be able to store a lot more information. Using this technology, one card will be able to replace your driving license, student card, medical card, library card. credit card, birth certificate and most of the other pieces of lD that we have to carry around with us.

The benefits of all these new ID systems are obvious. Imagine walking into your office at work. The floor will know you have arrived and your computer will recognize your voice and automatically log you on. You will be able to walk up to your ATM, smile sweetly and say hello, and it will give you your money. Your family will know exactly where you are, and you will always know where your car is. Criminals are going to find it a lot more difficult to commit crimes, and the police will find it a lot easier to catch them.

The question that we have to ask ourselves now is how the rights of the individual will be preserved. We must ask ourselves whether increased public safety and convenience will come at the cost of our privacy, and whether or not this is a price we are willing to pay. Is convenience worth the loss of privacy as all our personal data from bank records to health information and employment history is on file and more readily available every day? Are we really ready to live in a world where our every move is being watched?

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