How Private Entities Help International Security - Essay Example

Do private entities like Google, WikiLeaks, or Lockheed Martin help or hinder international security? In the world of present times, it is of paramount significance to safeguard the rights of people and thus secure them from all perspectives. Different organizations and websites are working their way through that have basically hindered in the wake of the provision of security that must be brought for the sake of the people, in the overall context of the wellness of the society. There is a good amount of transgression that has already made the rounds of the world but for these organizations something else seems to be the buzzword. Security cannot be compromised upon by anyone, and more so by the people who believe in this logical premise. Companies like Google, WikiLeaks and Lockheed Martin are some of the more common ones which have a huge responsibility at their hands yet much has been left desired on their part. Huge multinational organizations have for long played a pertinent role at changing mindsets and thus creating differential viewpoints within the minds of the people, no matter where they belong to or what kind of societies they are a part of (Thierer 2003). These are some of the reasons why international security has been kept at a risk by a number of players – directly or indirectly, formally or informally; yet the stance on the whole has been vivid and clear – security has been marred but the issue needs to be resolved, the sooner the better. With the recent upsurge in data leaks and privacy matters that have come to the fore, the subject of international security has come up incessantly and a lot needs to be done to thwart any such contraventions (Buzan & Hansen). Google has been a hit ever since it came on to the global front. It has changed the way the World Wide Web works, and has in essence assisted the world in finding out how things shape up as well as how people commit to varied work routines. It lists just about everything under the sun (Friedman 2005). Google is an interesting phenomenon and the people behind this gigantic search engine have realized the potential of their brainchild. They have explored how Google can grow and this is the reason why Google has so many different sub-entities as of today (Etzioni 1997). One such sub-entity is the Google Earth, a software tool that can highlight any region of the world, as and when one wishes to discern. It has demonstrated where French submarines are, how the White House looks like, where the Brunei palaces are, and so on and so forth (Nehf 2007). Nothing seems to be hidden from the eyes of the Google Earth software, which is indeed a comprehensive ideology in its own right. What is even more surprising is the fact that it has shown the distances between places, the traffic signs, the different landmarks and many other roads and urban/rural demarcations in nearly all cities of the world – thus proving to be a real hindrance when it comes to guaranteeing international security (Editors 2010). Google has a clear cut job at hand. It must ensure that such software does not reveal just too much, however since it is the premier search engine and tool, providing software it has to play its role by making available the information (Horn 2007). There must be a fine line between what is acceptable and what is simply not. There is no other way around to tackle such debates. The case with WikiLeaks is no different. It has recently come to the fore with revelations which have caused a great amount of uproar and controversy. Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks has opened up a Pandora’s Box by revealing more than 250,000 secret documents over the WikiLeaks website. It has put the US Government’s stance in a fix because many documents concerning its internal affairs have come to the fore. Not only that but its relations on a foreign policy level with countries like Russia, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan have also been exposed. World renowned leaders have been hurled different names and negative remarks, which has distanced US with the nations listed above (Malone 2008). There is a lot of resentment within the related ranks, and the reason for having such sentiments lies solely with the release of the WikiLeaks’ website. Even though the founder of this website has now been arrested, Assange has created an impression that nothing can be taken for granted in this world, especially when it comes to the World Wide Web and surveillance organizations, spread all over the world. WikiLeaks is in essence a very powerful website which has turned into a phenomenon within a short period of time (Katchadourian 2010). WikiLeaks has been openly debated upon by people from all walks of life. Some have believed this to be a clear cut transgression on the part of Assange and his team, while others have swallowed this pill with grace and courage, and stuck to their statements that have come out in the open ever since it was released worldwide (Chomsky 2010). It remains a fact that Julian Assange has shaken the world of today like no one else as headline news on television channels and newspapers have been filled with WikiLeaks left, right and center. Adding to the discussion, the case of Lockheed Martin cannot be denied as well. It is a US defense, security and aerospace technological organization which have interests in different parts of the world. It is amongst the largest defense contractors that the world has seen in the current times. By estimates in 2008, around 70% of its revenues sprung up from military sales (Washburn 1998). Hence the element of international security crops up when one understands the nuances of buying and sale of military equipment on a global level. These are very significant points which should be comprehended by the people who mean everything for the related business (Lemke 2001). The different products that come under the aegis of Lockheed Martin include the ATC systems, munitions, satellite, radars, Atlas launch vehicles, ballistic missiles, NMD elements and others. A lot is at stake when one thinks of the Lockheed Martin’s inputs within the global markets where countries and military institutions under them are the buyers and sellers. Lockheed Martin is a name that is synonymous with military sales all over the world. Hence the element of security is tied closely with it (Rice 2000). What people most often relate to with the term ‘Lockheed Martin’ is a fear that these security devices and items could be used as a provocation to resistance and war. Such issues therefore bring to light the subject of fear and harassment that happen on a global level. Private entities like Google, WikiLeaks and Lockheed Martin are some of the names which have been playing both their positive and negative roles in the present times. If one understands the manner in which their effects are being studied, there would be a great amount of resentment on a global level. Any country would direly appreciate the idea of having such organizations which bring out the best within its people but these entities are bringing more disharmonies within the relevant ranks. What they are doing in essence is to carry forward a message of disunity and fear in the overall contexts of world security (Malehorn 2001). People now feel more insecure today than they were some 50 years back. This is because they have started to feel that they can be bombed, nuked or attacked. If they remain secure, they have all the fears that their privacy could be violated and private data be stolen off their computer machines (Arnold 2001). There is so much fear that the element of security has become a difficult one. And there is reason available to believe such a premise. This reason has been given emphasis by the events and happenings which have engulfed this world, for all the negativities that have come about with the passage of time in the recent past. No one has the right to violate each other’s space. This is one statement that must remain supreme in the wake of adversarial times and shall by no means suggest that any entity has the right to invade peculiar zones which have been earmarked. Human nature should be understood and more than that there is a dire need to find out how development and growth bases of the human beings are judged. What this means is the fact that privacy and security are inter-twined, and there is a definitive relational basis between the two. People should take a sigh of relief when these organizations’ names come up but in reality this is not the case at all. What happens however is that they start fearing for their lives and their private data domains as soon as they listen to the names of Google, Lockheed Martin or WikiLeaks as of now. With the advent of spoofing, hacking and cracking all over the Internet, these private entities are something to be feared about on a consistent basis. The hackers and data stealers that have come up with their attacks and out of context jokes by misaligning statements has suggested to one and all how shallow this world has become. The manner in which it can stoop down has meant that the world of Internet is really a dangerous one. In fact whatever comes under the aegis of the security realms is indeed a much insecure feeling to begin with. In the 21st century, security and privacy are major determinants of world peace and growth. If the peaceful measures are not ensured, this world will grow in a very negative fashion (Taylor). Private entities are growing by the day, and hence there is a dire need to comprehend how and when they should be regulated so that success for the sake of humanity and its boundaries are guaranteed when international security is an important yardstick for measuring success here. In the most literal sense, international security is a very important subject as it has meant safety and security for the nearly 7 billion people living on the face of this earth (Adams 2005). No one should have the right to violate the privacy domains of the people by enacting websites and artillery programs which shall safeguard their interests alone while bypassing the secured regions of the people at large (Cronin). All said and done, international security will come out in the open when there is a dire need to address such issues like terrorism, killings and data stealing – taking place in different regions and areas of the world (Meier 2008). The world has changed with the changing times, and it is about time that positive developments also start taking place for the wellness of the different societies of the world. Then only success would be attained by all and sundry. Works Cited Adams, Helen R, “Privacy in the 21st Century: Issues for Public, School, and Academic Libraries”, Libraries Unlimited, 2005 Arnold, Stephen E, “Internet Users at Risk: The Identity/Privacy Target Zone”, Searcher, Vol. 9, 2001 Buzan & Hansen, “Widening and Deepening Security,” Chapter 7 in The Evolution of International Security Studies, pp. 187-225 Chomsky, Noam, “Why Wikileaks won’t stop the war”, In These Times, Vol. 34, September 2010 Cronin, Bruce. “Security Regimes: Collective Security and Security Communities.” The International Studies Encyclopedia, Robert A. Denmark, Ed. Editors, “Piecing Together the Reports, and Deciding What to Publish.” New York Times (25 July 2010) URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/26editors-note.html Etzioni, Amitai, “Privacy and Loyalty”, Clarendon Press, 1997 Friedman, Barbara G, “Web Search Savvy: Strategies and Shortcuts for Online Research”, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2005 Horn, Royal Van, “Web Applications and Google”, Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 88, 2007 Katchadourian, Raffi. “No Secrets: Julian Assange’s Mission for Total Transparency.” New Yorker (7 June 2010) URL: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/06/07/100607fa_fact_khatchadourian Lemke, Tim, “Lockheed Martin land the Biggest Defense Contract”, The Washington Times, 27 October 2001 Malehorn, Jack, “Forecasting at Lockheed Martin Aircraft and Logistics Centers”, The Journal of Business Forecasting Methods & Systems, Vol. 20, 2001 Malone, Alanna, “Wikileaks Unplugged, Free to Flow”, News Media and the Law, Vol. 32, 2008 Meier, Doug, “Changing with the times: How the Government must adapt to prevent the publication of its secrets”, The Review of Litigation, Vol. 28, 2008 Nehf, James P, “Shopping for Privacy on the Internet”, Journal of Consumer Affairs, Vol. 41, 2007 Rice, Matthew, “Lockheed Martin charged with sharing Rocket Data with China”, Arms Control Today, Vol. 30, May 2000 Taylor, Stan A. “The Role of Intelligence in National Security,” Chapter 18 in Collins, Contemporary Security Studies, pp. 299-319 Thierer, Adam, “Who Rules the Net? Internet Governance and Jurisdiction”, Cato Institute, 2003 Washburn, Jennifer, “Lockheed Martin: From Warfare to Welfare”, The Nation, Vol. 266, 2 March 1998 Read More