10. Progress in Science and Technology Versus Threats to Civil Liberties—Selected Issues

The purpose of this study was the analysis of the challenges and threats to the contemporary society, human rights, and democracy, because of progress in research and technology and the new scientific and technical achievements (especially in means of communication). The essential question arising in view of the above concerns the long term consequences of the observed processes—which of the opposing processes is dominant today—broadening of the civic liberty, or consolidation of the invisible control? The state has gained new tools of exercising power. The contemporary technology offers almost limitless opportunities, and as such tempts to control, watch, monitor, and intervene in the private lives of individuals, also in democratic countries. The development of computer techniques contributed for cultural changes too, among others to form cultures of spying. This type of activity is coming increasingly into the focus of the local authorities, banks, telecom operators, and other enterprises, managers of the web portals and browsers, advertising corporations, internet site owners, schools, employers, parents versus, e.g. the preschool teachers and other carers of their children, and even the neighbours and spouses. At the work was used a literature on the subject, including well known forecasts and the press reports.