Controversy of Putting Tracking Devices on Fugitives and Suspects

Technology nowadays continues to break barriers that society never could have imagined. We have become accustomed to things that decades ago would seem unthinkable, including touch screen phones and battery powered cars.  However, with the changing technological times, we as a society have to keep up.  Often, these advances in technology come with controversy in the public eye.  One hot topic that caught the attention of the public not too long ago is the controversy behind federal officials to order cell phone companies to furnish real-time tracking of data so officials can pinpoint fugitives and suspects.  With the nation’s sharpened sense of National Security increasing vastly within the last decade, this has been a controversial issue.  As with almost every controversial issue, there are both pros and cons that come with this topic.  People that support this act approve of it because it will help police and federal officials keep this great nation safer from criminals, terrorists, and suspects.  People that oppose this will say that putting tracking devices on these people without their consent is simply unconstitutional and does not respect people’s rights. 

Personally, to an extent, I agree with this policy of tracking people that are wanted by federal officials.  I believe it is a safe, inexpensive, and reasonable way to keep the public safer.  However, the only part of the argument I do not agree with is giving these officials the ability to put these tracking devices on suspects.  Suspects are only suspects, and nothing more.  If we place these tracking devices on suspects, they will lose their innocence before even being proven guilty.  I still believe in the fact that you are innocent until proven guilty.  I do not have a problem if we put these devices on criminals. At that point, they have already been proven guilty, and have forfeited their constitutional rights.  

Considering the other side, the only negative I can think of with this system is the security of the data collected.  If this information is stored online, it risks being breached and having the information leaked. This would be catastrophic as people’s locations and identities could be shared. Other than having to be very careful about where the information stored, I approve of placing these tracking devices on fugitives and criminals in order to collect data about their whereabouts.  Other people will disagree, and the debate will continue, but that is how I see the issue.