Editorial:
Big Brother will be watching you

He’s a few years later than George Orwell predicted, but Big Brother has been working hard to find new ways that will allow him to watch us all a little closer. This time, however, we have an added bonus that not even the characters in 1984 could believe: We will not only be monitored via the Internet, but also have to pay for such a privilege.

The other difference is that in this performance, the role of Big Brother will be played by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It seems as though the FCC recently has decided that it wasn’t enough to hold to its 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) that required certain technologies to be engineered in such a way to enable wiretapping. Now it is retracting its original decision to exempt the public Internet from these regulations.

Of course, it’s not enough that the FCC now wants to wiretap all “facilities-based Internet service providers,” which includes any college that provides its own Internet service. In order for all affected parties to comply, they must pay to upgrade their own networks in order to ensure that the technology will be compatible with the FCC’s wiretapping capabilities.

Rider will be affected by this new order, as it serves in a sense as its own Internet service provider, uses its own firewalls and makes its own policies and rules for its network. Additionally, since Rider’s network connects to the public Internet, is it not protected by the exemptions that keep a private network from being monitored.

Thankfully, colleges are doing whatever they can to fight like hell against this revision of CALEA. While the blatant invasion of privacy is a worrisome issue, college administrations seem to be more concerned with the cost of the FCC’s misguided ambitions. It probably should be something that worries college students, too, since the nationwide upgrading of college Internet technologies comes with a $7 billion price tag. Even though this is a surmised combined cost, one has to keep in mind that each academic institution forced to upgrade its network has to find a way to cover this unnecessary cost. And what better way is there for a college to raise a little extra money than by raising its tuition?

Individuals and organizations are also vocally opposing CALEA, as many don’t quite understand what there is to gain by forcing colleges and college facilities to bear this outrageous financial burden just in the off-chance that the FCC is hit by the whimsical fancy to monitor the Internet perusals or e-mails of college students.

Someone in the FCC seems to be forgetting that college is, above all, about education. It’s already expensive for those of us who are lucky enough to work toward a college degree, and countless others are denied the opportunity to further their educations for want of money. Additionally, CALEA is putting us one step closer to the 1984 world of Oceania, invasive Telescreens and the oppressing omniscience of Big Brother. If the FCC isn’t careful, it’s going to make a costly mistake that turns college into an unaffordable fishbowl, as well as severely limiting the freedom of the Internet.