Hunted TV Show – Investigative Techniques and Privacy

A new reality show called Hunted is now airing on CBS which features 9 teams of 2 who are on the run from professional detectives. Their goal is to remain fugitives and not get caught for 28 days. If they manage to make it to the end, they win a large sum of money.

So far I have watched the first 2 episodes and it is a pretty good show. It is fascinating to see the different strategies on each side as the fugitives try to stay hidden while moving from place to place while the investigators try to find out everything about them and track their every move.

One thing that surprised me was how much technology and investigative techniques the professionals really have access to. We all know things like cell phones and credit cards can be tracked, but they go even further into detail by seeking out any digital footprint available, not only of the fugitives, but also those with any relation to them.

They are able to track vehicles, get surveillance from cameras at ATMs, even track paper mail that has been sent. It seems in this day in age where everyone is so connected to the grid, it is impossible to vanish and not get found if they are looking for you.

This raises the controversial debate on if the professional investigators or government agencies have too much access to this information to the point where it compromises the privacy of individuals. Personally I think it is ok and a good thing as long as it is used for the right reasons such as to track down criminals and prevent potential bad events from happening.

It does make you question how much information is ok to put out there on the internet. It seems every day there is news about some celebrity or public figure that tweeted something that they shouldn't have. You really have to be careful about what you put out there these days because as they say, once it is out there, it can never really be deleted.

In case you have not seen the show Hunted, I recommend checking it out as it is educational as much as it is entertaining! It airs Wednesday nights at 8/7c on CBS.