Cell Phones and Privacy

I feel that prepaid cell phones have a number of legitimate uses that should prevent them from being controlled or banned by the law. The first one of these uses would be a phone used by someone who does not use a phone very often and is trying to save money. They are quite economical as they only come with a certain amount of money and time on them only allowing for certain calls. This is also a useful option for those who might have amassed bad credit and cannot get a cell phone plan with giant companies because of their credit. Another example would be a good phone for teaching children about how cell phones work and the importance of only using a cell phone when necessary. If there are no options for texting or internet then the child will be using the phone for its original purpose aka phone calls. All in all, these economical phones are pretty useful for those who cannot afford actual monthly phone plans and taking them away would be removing a crucial line of communication for those who cannot afford it.

Location Tracking

I agree with the idea of placing computer chips within children, but I believe that these chips should be removed at a certain age. I like the idea behind knowing where your child is as it would certainly help to maintain the welfare of the worlds children. I suppose the problem would be how are they tracked and who can track the chip. For example, if the very people who we are trying to keep the children safe from can read the chips location then you have created a serious problem. On the other hand, you have essentially eliminated the idea of waking up to the "DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN ARE?!" statement that parents have come to know. In the end, I believe that the benefits outweigh the risks of the situation.
As children really what rights do you have? Parents are essentially your care takers and the people whose job it is to keep you alive. I absolutely believe that parents have the right to put these chips into the younger children as it will help to keep them safe and make a parents endless job of child rearing slightly easier. I do not agree when it come down to teenage children. At this point, teenagers are growing and developing and need some aspect of freedom in their lives. How will they learn from their mistakes if the parents are always there to prevent them from happening? If a chip is implanted into a young child then I believe it should be removed at around the age of 15 when the child is entering into high school.
I would probably support a bill like that in congress. Obviously I would need to know key details such as who is making the chips, where is this information being stored, who has access and quite a few more but I do like the idea of it all.
I also agree with the GPS shoes for seniors who are forgetful and have alzheimer's. Once again this is an issue of safety as opposed to violating personal rights. If the elderly person in this situation is a danger to themselves or others and can easily become lost then I feel that these shoes are very useful and should be used.

The Start of Something

CS408 is a computer science class that focus on the wonderfully crazy place that we call the digital world. In class, we focus on everything from internet addiction to how to completely fall off the grid and just about everything technology related in between. As the class continues, our knowledge of both the advantages and disadvantages of living in a technology filled world will continue to grow and we will learn what to take advantage of and what to avoid entirely. All in all, CS408 looks like it is going to be quite the informative class.