Government Surveillance Pros And Cons

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As technology has advanced, so has our need for better security through surveillance devices. Public monitoring can be used as an unbiased evidence in the case of criminal trials, and can provide better security to citizens. However, the public may not be aware of all the ways the government can monitor its citizens. While the government is limited in the information it can legally collect, it can buy personal information from companies that collect information on people through the use of the internet and browser plug-ins. The government can get this information without cause or judicial oversight. There is even a proposed bill called the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, which would allow the government to gather information …show more content…

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows the US to collect information about US persons when they communicate with foreign targets. While this is working to be reformed, it still isn’t enough to protect Americans from warrantless government surveillance (Leithauser). The US government should not be allowed to use these bills to monitor people without definite probable cause and without going through all the necessary legal channels. Sarah Brayne, an Austin sociologist, published in the American Sociological Review how big data and data brokers are revolutionizing how police departments use technology in surveillance. Brayne observed …show more content…

Drones are known for their maneuverability and how easily they can have cameras attached to capture bird’s-eye images. However, with this innovation, comes the threat that it can be used for unethical purposes. According to an article by Matthew Koerner, because of the novelty of drones, rules and regulations surrounding them are still in development as courts decide on what is and isn’t constitutional concerning their use. Due to this, the use of drones to survey people without their knowledge and probable cause might be able to bypass through Fourth Amendment loopholes (Drones and the Fourth Amendment). In order to secure the privacy of US citizens, government officials need to quickly decide what limits to set on drones in order to stop their use of monitoring people without probable

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