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National security agency united states of america
National security agency united states of america
National security agency united states of america
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In May of 2013, a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, Edward Snowden, confiscated several sensitive security documents having to do with confidential government activities that had to do with as described by news outlet Aljazeera America (AA), “…an order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) requiring Verizon to hand over metadata from millions of Americans' phone calls to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the NSA” (AA). Snowden then later released these documents to British news outlet, The Guardian. The Guardian, then later with Snowden’s permission released the documents on June 6th, 2013 to the general public. After a substantial amount of outcry and distain from the majority of the American public, President Obama later gave a speech on January 17th, 2014 to discuss the new NSA reforms with security of the nation and to address the publics’ newly kindled anger.
With release of the NSA documents and the outcries of many Americans, President Obama and the White House had to approach this situation carefully. When preparing this speech they had to take some factors into consideration one being who will the President be primarily addressing. That being said, when the President was giving the speech he may have been addressing the security agencies such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), but also the audience whom Obama had directed his speech toward was not only the security agencies and their employees civilian population of the United States. The civilian population meaning the various sections of the population that is not a part of the security workforce. For his presidential address, President Obama and his staff had to also take into account that the masses h...
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...acrifices must be made to ensure that we are continually able to have these freedoms that we enjoy. Even if that sacrifice means the NSA knows your internet history, e-mails, or text messages.
Works Cited
Board, Editorial. "Grading President Obama’s NSA Speech." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2014. Web. 8 May 2014.
Eaton, Joshua. "Timeline of Edward Snowden's Revelations | Al Jazeera America." Timeline of Edward Snowden's Revelations | Al Jazeera America. Ed. Ben Piven. Aljazeera America, n.d. Web. 8 May 2014.
Obama, Barack. “National Security Agency Reforms.” U.S. Dept. of Justice. Washington, D.C. January 7, 2014. Federal News Service. Transcript. Web. April 2, 2014.
Sanger, David E., and Charlie Savage. "Analysis of Obama's N.S.A. Speech." The Caucus Analysis of Obamas NSA Speech Comments. New York Times, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 9 May 2014.
How would you feel if everything you did on the internet, every text you sent, and every call you made was seen by someone? That is what the NSA is doing right now. According to Wikipedia, the National Security Agency is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence.[1] They have been a controversial topic since the 1970s when it was revealed that they had been wiretapping Americans’ telephones. Their surveillance has only grown since then, even though most Americans disagree with it. [2] The NSA’s domestic surveillance is unconstitutional, ineffective, and a violation of privacy that needs to be stopped.
...d Upon.” The New American 1 July 2013: 19. InfoTrac War and Terrorism Collection. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
...t time such searches have been confirmed. The confirmation of these NSA searches on Americans’ communications also increased the difficulty of President Barack Obama’s initial defense of the wide surveillance that occurred in 2013.
Edward Snowden is America’s most recent controversial figure. People can’t decide if he is their hero or traitor. Nevertheless, his leaks on the U.S. government surveillance program, PRISM, demand an explanation. Many American citizens have been enraged by the thought of the government tracing their telecommunication systems. According to factbrowser.com 54% of internet users would rather have more online privacy, even at the risk of security (Facts Tagged with Privacy). They say it is an infringement on their privacy rights of the constitution. However, some of them don’t mind; they believe it will help thwart the acts of terrorists. Both sides make a good point, but the inevitable future is one where the government is adapting as technology is changing. In order for us to continue living in the new digital decade, we must accept the government’s ability to surveil us.
The feeling that someone is always watching, develops the inevitable, uncomfortable feeling that is displeasing to the mind. For years, the National Security Agency (NSA) has been monitoring people for what they call, “the greater good of the people” (Cole, February 2014). A program designed to protect the nation while it protects the walls within as it singles people out, sometimes by accident. Whether you are a normal citizen or a possible terrorist, the NSA can monitor you in a variation of ways. The privacy of technology has sparked debates across the world as to if the NSA is violating personal rights to privacy by collecting personal data such as, phone calls and text messages without reason or authorization (Wicker, 2011). Technology plays a key role in society’s day to day life. In life, humans expect privacy, even with their technology. In recent news, Edward Snowden leaked huge pieces from the NSA to the public, igniting these new controversies. Now, reforms are being pressed against the government’s throat as citizens fight for their rights. However, American citizens are slammed with the counterargument of the innocent forte the NSA tries to pass off in claims of good doing, such as how the NSA prevents terrorism. In fear of privacy violations, limitations should be put on the NSA to better protect the privacy of our honest citizens.
Keck, Zachary. "Yes, Edward Snowden Is a Traitor." The Diplomat. N.p., 21 Dec. 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2014
Sales, Nathan A. “The Patriot Act isn’t broken.” March 6th 2009, Vol. 101 Issue 69, Student Research Center. EBSCOhost. Frederick Community Coll. Lib, Frederick, MD July 10th
O'NEIL, D. E. (2014, April 20). White House Begins New Effort to Defend Surveillance Program . Retrieved from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/23/politics/23cnd-wiretap.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
5 Dec. 2013. Gorman, Siobhan, and Jennifer Valentino-Deveries. New Details Show Broader NSA Surveillance Reach. " The Wall Street Journal. N.p., 20 Aug. 2013.
The government gives each American citizen a set of unalienable rights that protect them from the government’s power. These rights cannot be broken, yet the government violates the Fourth Amendment daily to find ways to spy on the American public under the guise of protecting against terrorism. In 2007 President Obama said the American administration “acts like violating civil liberties is the way to enhance our securities – it is not.” Americans need to understand that their privacy is worth the fight. The people need to tell their neighbors, their congressmen, and their senators that they will not allow their internet privacy to be violated by needless spying. American citizens deserve the rights given to them and need to fight for the right to keep them by changing privacy laws to include Internet privacy.
Most people concerned about the privacy implications of government surveillance aren’t arguing for no[sic] surveillance and absolute privacy. They’d be fine giving up some privacy as long as appropriate controls, limitations, oversight and accountability mechanisms were in place. ”(“5 Myths about Privacy”). The fight for privacy rights is by no means a recent conflict.
The Web. The Web. 22 Jan. 2014. • "Profile: Edward Snowden. "
It is reasonable to argue that, governmental institutions or people with authority are subject to withhold a great deal of information from society. Many may argue that secrets are kept to ensure the safety of the nation. Thus, upholding the governmental duty of protecting the nation against possible threats. On the other hand, many believe that secrets may exist which violate our constitutional rights. Over the last year, Edward Snowden, has made headline news for leaking sensitive governmental information to the press. Edward Snowden is a 29-year-old high school drop-out, who was a tech specialist for the National Security Association. Snowden had discovered and later exposed the NSA for monitoring the nations e-mails, phone calls, and internet searches. As the allegations spread like wild fire, Edward Snowden sought asylum in Russia for one year. Snowden had a valid and justifiable reason to expose the NSA to the world because they were in violation of our fourth Amendment rights to unreasonable searches and seizures. The government called him a traitor, while others viewed him as a hero for exposing the government. Edward Snowden is a whistle blower because he felt that it is up to society to decide if governmental practices are just or unjust. Snowden does “express the highest respect for the law”, and he wanted to protect the right of privacy for American citizens.
Privacy is not just a fundamental right, it is also important to maintain a truly democratic society where all citizens are able to exist with relative comfort. Therefore, “[Monitoring citizens without their knowledge] is a major threat to democracies all around the world.” (William Binney.) This is a logical opinion because without freedom of expression and privacy, every dictatorship in history has implemented some form of surveillance upon its citizens as a method of control.
Gonchar, Michael. “What Is More Important: Our Privacy or National Security?” New York Times. New York Times, 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.