Government Intervention: A Threat to Privacy

1236 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Ethical aspects of electronic surveillance

I have seen it all over the news. NSA, this. NSA, that. The talk of government surveillance has been stirring up some arguments among the people of America. As a US citizen myself, I am a bit concerned that I have government officials following my every move on the computer. Then again, it is all in effort to prevent terrorist attacks, such as the horrific 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers, from happening again—or so they say. Some skeptics believe that there is a dark side to our government, one that was just recently leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. According to Justin Brookman, the government has been fishing out data from companies who already have large amounts of data from users like us (“Privacy in a World of Persistent Surveillance”). But what is NSA going to do with all the miscellaneous data they collected from us? What kind of information have they found? And what about foreigners inside the US—how does the government deal with them? Where do we draw the line? How much is too much? September 11, 2001 was one of the darkest days the US had ever experienced. It was coordinated by nineteen terrorists, all thirsty for revenge for the change Americans brought with them to the Middle East. From then on, our government has developed policies that strengthened our security, such as the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act was signed just a few weeks after 9/11 by President George W. Bush. It expanded government power to detect terrorism faster and more efficiently (MacDonald). Its goals include increased funding for the Technical Support Center at the FBI, more employment of translators at the FBI, increased duration of FISA surveillance of non-US citizens, and access to certain business records for f... ... middle of paper ... ...Fight Against Terrorism. N.p.: n.p., Mar. 2004. PDF. Savage, Charlie. "C.I.A. Is Said to Pay AT&T for Call Data." NY Times. N.p., 7 Nov. 2013. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. . Schmitt, Eric. "Qaeda Plot Leak Has Undermined U.S. Intelligence." NY Times. N.p., 29 Sept. 2013. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. . Strickland, Lee. "Without Civil Liberties Homeland Security Will Fall." University of Maryland. N.p., 23 Dec. 2005. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. . Wainstein, Kenneth L. "The Protect America Act Is Necessary to Thwart Terrorism."National Security. Ed. David M. Haugen. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • Domestic Surveillance Pros And Cons

    550 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Snowden's Revelations: ECPA & USA Freedom Acts

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    Edward Snowden’s National Security Agency(NSA) leaked affair brought attention to American Citizens causing many arguments. Some argue they trust their government and wouldn’t change a thing about being monitored while others argue that their privacy being invaded is unconstitutional, and as a society living in surveillance, Americans need to reform the ECPA Act, and tell Congress to pass The USA Freedom Act.

    Read More

  • The NSA, Privacy and the War or Terrorism

    1550 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • George W. Bush's Executive Order of Homeland Security

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Executive Order Establishing Office of Homeland Security Council puts forth an agenda on countering terrorist acts; it is done to prevent untold a...

    Read More

  • Why Is Domestic Surveillance Important

    1064 Words  | 3 Pages

    The NSA and U.S. government sifting through our private information is but a small inconvenience that we must sacrifice in order to protect our own freedom and safety. Domestic Surveillance roots back to the 1910’s, where the assassination of President McKinley, created a Bureau of Investigation that would trace the efforts of the Communists attempting an uprising in America. This would be the foundings behind Domestic Surveillance in America, and would continue on after World War II where the government created the NSA and CIA, with the main purposes

    Read More

  • The Changes that Came After 9/11

    2131 Words  | 5 Pages

    September 11, 2001 marked the most horrific day in history for United States of America. The events of this day changed the lives of those residing in America forever. United States was considered somewhat safe, in regards to terrorists’ attacks. However, this all came to a screeching halt when 19 militants known to be a part of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group hijacked four planes for the purpose of destroying targeted areas in the United States. As a result of the deadly attack on the United States, security measures drastically changed. Although, security measures throughout the United States have been in place, extreme caution came into effect. All departments looked at different measures to improve preventing terrorists’ attacks. Department of Homeland Security, Aviation and US Customs and Immigration were some of the main areas that changed their security measures.

    Read More

  • analysis 1

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    In June 2013, Edward Snowden revealed an unauthorized disclosure to The Guardian in an interview about a warrantless action of the government, that NSA has been accessing through the world's nine biggest internet companies to collect data works from citizens. The datas are draw and analyze by NSA from citizen's personal informations such as audios, videos, pictures, e-mails, instant messages, documented files, social network activities, and contact informations. In this surveillance plan, there are two secret program. One is to monitor citizens' network activities, and the second is to monitor through citizens' telephone call records. This is the largest monitoring project that had ever happened in the history of America and it really staggered the public.

    Read More

  • The Unacceptable Privacy Infrigment

    1185 Words  | 3 Pages

    When we mention the word ‘privacy’, we mean that there is something very personal about ourselves. Something that we think others are not supposed to know, or, we do not want them to. Nevertheless, why is it so? Why are people so reluctant to let others know about them entirely? This is because either they are afraid of people doing them harm or they are scared that people may treat them differently after their secrets are known. Without privacy, the democratic system that we know would not exist. Privacy is one of the fundamental values on which our country was established. Moreover, with the internet gaining such popularity, privacy has become a thing of the past. People have come to accept that strangers can view personal information about them on social networking sites such as Facebook, and companies and the government are constantly viewing a person’s activity online for a variety of reasons. From sending email, applying for a job, or even using the telephone, Americans right to privacy is in danger. Personal and professional information is being stored, link, transferred, shared, and even sold. Various websites, the government and its agencies, and hospitals are infringing our privacy without our permission or knowledge.

    Read More

  • Annie Farnsworth's For The Falling Man

    855 Words  | 2 Pages

    There’s a reason why boys use incognito mode on web browsers – they don’t want people to know what they were doing. The NSA also doesn’t have a warrant or even a reason to gather information on Americans who are not suspected of certain crimes. It’s one thing if all of our files were put somewhere and nobody looked at them until a person had committed a crime or they’re keeping watch on a former criminal, but that’s not what’s happening. Somehow, however, “secret court orders allow (the) NSA to sweep up Americans’ phone records” (Franceshi-Bicchierai) and other things like our email or web history. Many Americans are appalled by this, especially since Edwards Snowden released this information, and are just surprised by how this gets around our fourth amendment in the Bill of Rights. People always say its for your own protection, but if it is that way than why aren’t we allowed to carry guns and protect ourselves like our ancestors did when this country started. Fearing who, what, and why the NSA is targeting seems a lot less stressful than knowing everybody in this country is after

    Read More

  • Department Of Homeland Security Essay

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    The September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in the United States changed our world forever. It heightened our nation’s security. This included increased awareness of both domestic and foreign acts of terrorism. As a result, congressional and public interest increased in federal spending for homeland security (CBO, 2005).

    Read More

  • In Praise of Big Brother: Why We Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love Government Surveillance

    1896 Words  | 4 Pages

    James Stacey Taylor's article, "In Praise of Big Brother: Why We Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love Government Surveillance" begins reviewing the concept of "Big Brother" as it was originally presented in George Orwell's 1984. The Big Brother started off as a fictional character in 1984-- a dictator of Oceania within a totalitarian state. Set within a society in which everyone is under complete surveillance by the authorities, mainly by telescreens, the people are constantly reminded of this by the phrase “Big Brother is watching you” (Wikipedia) . Taylor goes on to explain some examples of recent surveillance technology and how it is applied in lives today. An interesting note and comparison between today’s technology and that of the telescreens in 1984, is that people could be sure that they could not be watched by Big Brother’s telescreens by going out of the cities into the country, where they only had to take care that their conversations were not monitored by hidden microphones (Taylor 227). He contrasts the two, highlighting the fact that “Such an escape is not impossible, for spy satellites can be used to monitor people wherever they go” (277). From there, Taylor perpetuates the framework for his position on the Big Brother notion. Taylor argues that, "rather than opposing such an expansion of surveillance technology, its use should be encouraged -- and not only in the public realm" (227). Taylor’s argument presented in a more formal construction is as follows:

    Read More

  • Edward Snowden's Surveillance Practices

    375 Words  | 1 Pages

    In May 2013, Edward Snowden, a consultant working for the National Security Agency, began copying documents on the agency’s domestic surveillance practices, which included spying on millions of American citizens. One program was called PRISM. Snowden supplied those secret documents to news outlets, and the following month the Guardian and the Washington Times released Snowden's published information on the NSA program that allowed real-time information collection on American citizens. A flood of information followed, and the US Government and the American people demanded to either hear more about it or have Snowden arrested.1

    Read More

  • NSA Surveillance Report

    1304 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the 21th century our lives are circled around technology, most noticeable our computers and smart phones. They encompass our business plans, private text messages, a hint in our political affiliation and the identity of our peers and family. In the June 2013 Edward Snowden, a former system administrator for the CIA leaked classified documents about NASA surveillance programs domestically and internationally. The sparked a fire of debate again between the balance of nation security over an individual’s private data. Snowden released information about the NSA’s PRISM program and collection of metadata. Under section 702 of the FISA (foreign intelligence surveillance act of 1978), it allows NSA to use information about non-domestic communications

    Read More

  • The Hancock Symposium

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Hancock Symposium is a nationally recognized academic event, in which renowned speakers engage in thought-provoking lectures, panel discussions and presentations on one particular area of global interest. Students and faculty members have the chance to participate in these activities, creating a campus-wide learning environment around the symposium, and expanding the horizons of these discussions beyond the speakers, reaching the diverse student body, faculty and staff, and the local community. The 2015 Hancock Symposium had as a theme “Security vs. Liberty: Balancing the Scales of Freedom,” which focused on the actions taken after 9/11, and the inquiry of liberty being jeopardized in the name of security.

    Read More

  • Digital Privacy Concerns

    1567 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lardinois, Frederic. "Google, Facebook, Dropbox, Yahoo, Microsoft, Paltalk, AOL And Apple Deny Participation In NSA PRISM Surveillance Program." Techcrunch.com. TechCrunch, 6 June 2013. Web. 23 Feb. 2014

    Read More

More about Government Intervention: A Threat to Privacy

Open Document