Heidi Boghosian, a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, is the executive director of the A.J. Muste Memorial Institute. Previously she was the executive director of the

National Lawyers Guild The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) is a progressive public interest association of lawyers, law students, paralegals, jailhouse lawyers, law collective members, and other activist legal workers, in the United States. The group was founded in 193 ...

, a progressive

bar association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to separ ...

established in 1937, where she oversaw the legal defense of people targeted by government. She co-hosts the weekly

civil liberties Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties may ...

radio show ''Law and Disorder'', that airs on

Pacifica Radio Pacifica may refer to: Art * ''Pacifica'' (statue), a 1938 statue by Ralph Stackpole for the Golden Gate International Exposition Places * Pacifica, California, a city in the United States ** Pacifica Pier, a fishing pier * Pacifica, a conceiv ...

WBAI WBAI (99.5 FM) is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station licensed to New York, New York. Its programming is a mixture of political news, talk and opinion from a left-leaning, liberal or progressive viewpoint, and eclectic music. ...

, New York, and is broadcast on more than 100 other stations.

Government Surveillance

Boghosian's work often focuses on how technology affects our daily lives. In a 2010 ''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'' article titled "Are You Chip-Ready", Boghosian discusses

radio-frequency identification Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder, a radio receiver and transmitter. When triggered by an electromag ...

(RFID) technology that has been making its way into many people's lives including students whose attendance can now be tracked by a RFID chip implanted in their student ID cards. She points out

identity theft Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person's personal identifying information, like their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. The term ''identity theft'' was co ...

stalking Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The ter ...

, government spying, and

security breach Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted Coercion, coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons an ...

es as just some of the negative outcomes of RFID technology. In 2012, Boghosian documented her own

data trail Digital footprint or digital shadow refers to one's unique set of traceable digital activities, actions, contributions and communications manifested on the Internet or digital devices. Digital footprints can be classified as either passive or ac ...

to show how everyday transactions and ventures are captured and stored, most times without our knowledge. From the surveillance monitor outside of her apartment building, to a purchase at a local coffee shop, Boghosian illustrates how corporations play a larger role in people's daily lives. The

National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...

(NSA), for instance, collects

metadata Metadata is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including: * Descriptive metadata – the descriptive ...

on every phone call Americans make,"FBI’s Use of Drones for U.S. Surveillance Raises Fears over Privacy, Widening Corporate-Gov’t Ties"
"

Democracy Now! ''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long American TV, radio, and Internet news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live each weekday at ...

. 21 June 2013. as was revealed in June 2013 by

Edward Snowden Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American and naturalized Russian former computer intelligence consultant who leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013, when he was an employee and su ...

Bibliography

*'' Spying on Democracy: Government Surveillance, Corporate Power, and Public Resistance'' (

City Lights ''City Lights'' is a 1931 American silent romantic comedy film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. The story follows the misadventures of Chaplin's Tramp as he falls in love with a blind girl (Virginia Cherrill) and ...

, 2013)
The Business of Surveillance
ABA Human Rights, Vol. 39 No. 3, 2013] *Police Brutality: Opposing Viewpoints, Chapter: "Antiterrorism policies result in police abuse of dissenters (Greenhaven Press, 2006)
Applying Restraints to Private Police
(Missouri Law Review, Vol. 70, Issue 1, Winter 2005) *The Assault on Free Speech, Public Assembly, and Dissent (North River Press, 2004)

References

External links

*] {{DEFAULTSORT:Boghosian, Heidi American lawyers American people of Armenian descent Living people Radio-frequency identification American women lawyers Temple University Beasley School of Law alumni Brown University alumni Boston University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women