Is Big Brother Watching?
Amber Douglas
Joe Weathers
English 1301 (MW 8-10:30 a.m.)
Spring 2016
Controversial Issue
O Police Usage of
Electronic Tracking
Devices To Gather
Information on
Suspects
Video
O http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=n
ews/technology&id=8438281
Articles
O http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/07/opinion/
etzioni-gps/index.html
O http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington
/judicial/story/2012-01-23/supreme-courtGPS/52754354/1#.T44KQ_bGMLw.email
O http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/us/p
olice-use-of-gps-is-ruledunconstitutional.html?emc=eta1
Working Bibliography
O Biskupic, Joan. "Supreme Court rules
warrant needed for GPS tracking."
USATODAY.COM. 24 Jan. 2012. USA Today.
22 Apr. 2014
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/was
hington/judicial/story/2012-0123/supreme-courtGPS/52754354/1#.T44KQ_bGMLw.email
Working Bibliography
O Etzioni, Amitai, and The opinions expressed
in this commentary are solely those of
Amitai Etzioni. "GPS should be fair game in
police probes." CNN. 07 Nov. 2011. Cable
News Network. 22 Apr. 2014
http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/07/opinion/
etzioni-gps/index.html
Working Bibliography
O Liptak, Adam. "Justices Say GPS Tracker
Violated Privacy Rights." The New York
Times. 23 Jan. 2012. The New York Times.
22 Apr. 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/us/p
olice-use-of-gps-is-ruledunconstitutional.html?emc=eta1&_r=1&
Important Questions Answered
O Who Does the Topic Affect?
O Any Person Suspected of
Committing a Crime
O Why Is the Topic Important?
O Police Can Put a Electronic Device
on a Suspect’s Car without a
Warrant and Follow Him.
Important Terms Defined and
Background and History
O GPS (Global
Positioning System)
O The Global
Positioning System
(GPS) is a navigation
and precisepositioning tool.
O It was developed by
the Department of
Defense in 1973.
Background and History
Continued
O Originally Designed
to:
O Assist soldiers,
military vehicles,
planes, and ships in
accurately
determining their
locations worldwide.
Background and History
Continued
O Today, GPS is used
Commercially and
scientifically:
O Commercially as a
navigation and
positioning tool in
airplanes, boats, cars,
and for almost all
outdoor recreational
activities such as
hiking, fishing, and
kayaking.
Background and History
Completed
O Scientifically:
O Meteorologists use it
for weather forecasting
and global climate
study.
O Geologists can use it
as a highly accurate
method of surveying
and in earthquake
studies to measure
tectonic motions
during and in between
earthquakes.
Controversial Question
O Should the police be able to affix an
electronic tracking device to a
suspect’s car without a warrant and
follow him for a month?
Pro’s
O Allows the police to collect information on
people suspected of crimes
O Allows the police to follow hard to catch
criminals
O Saves money and manpower
O Helps the police to protect society
Con’s
 Police Should Have To Get a Warrant
 Is an Invasion of Privacy
 Information Collected Can Be Given To
Others
 Suspect Hasn’t Committed a Crime Yet
Position
O Yes, the police should be able to affix
an electronic tracking device to a
suspect’s car without a warrant and
follow him for a month.
Argumentative Thesis
(Pro)
O The police should be able to affix an
electronic tracking device to a suspect’s car
without a warrant and follow him for a
month. Implied Thesis
O When the police are able to affix an
electronic device to a suspect’s car without
a warrant, it is able to collect data, save
manpower hours, and protect society.
Specific Thesis
Questions