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Pros and cons of government surveillance
Pros and cons of government surveillance
Pros and cons of government surveillance
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Recommended: Pros and cons of government surveillance
Akash Rathod
Wednesday Class
Paragraph 1: Thesis Domestic surveillance is a very controversial topic that has many benefits yet it can also produce many negative results. The use of domestic surveillance can lead to the infringement or loss of privacy of many people. It perpetuates more hacking being done in encryption backdoors thus leading to cyber warfare, which can result in extinction of all life on Earth, and it strains the power and global trust the United States has as an Internet leader. Also, surveillance can violate the democracy in the United States. The advantages of decreasing surveillance are greater than the disadvantages of surveillance even tough many can argue that domestic surveillance is necessary to decrease terrorism.
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One of the biggest components is that the government uses surveillance to collect information on all of the people, it gathers data on the entire population. Privacy is something that is very important to the basic rights of people, and if our system cannot ensure this right, then it will lead to discrimination, compulsion, and the threatening of our enforcement policies.
Paragraph 3: Cyber Warfare
The NSA is continuously trying to increase it information and knowledge by using backdoors, which is greatly attacking our cyber security. With these backdoors, cyber attacks can occur because hackers will be able to analyze our current technological functions, and will be able to exploit it. The risk of any cyber attack is very high and the military will not hesitate to take any action, leading to a full out nuclear war. If there is a nuclear war, there is always a chance that the result will be extinction of all life on Earth.
Paragraph 4: Global Leader
It is essential that the United States maintains its position as a global leader. Increasing surveillance or keeping it as it is now strains the economy in many places. By being so competitive in our security and surveillance, we take away from our focus in US innovation, and the US economy. By doing this, many conflicts will arise over the collapse of our financial system and the collapse of our overall economic
Penenberg closes his essay by mentioning that the surveillance is not only used to watch the citizens but also for citizens to keep an eye on the government. Through his organization, relevant information, and professional tone, Penenberg creates an effective
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.
Taylor, James Stacey. "In Praise of Big Brother: Why We Should Learn to Stop Worrying and Love Government Surveillance." Public Affairs Quarterly July 2005: 227-246.
Domestic Surveillance helped combat terrorism as it had stopped attacks in the United States and overseas, and identified phone numbers that could be connected to terrorism. The way that Domestic Surveillance alerted us about potential threats is that AT&T and the NSA worked together to collect and analyze Internet and cell phone data. US citizens gained a sense of security as cyber programs began to have the same standards as international laws and standards, and telecom giants such as Verizon assist the NSA by sending them data. If we do not keep Domestic Surveillance, we are making ourselves vulnerable to more attacks as the government will not be able to foil plots that could be harmful to society. Although there is controversy surrounding Domestic Surveillance, it is best to know that there are more benefits than downsides to
The NSA is a U.S. intelligence agency responsible for providing the government with information on inner and foreign affairs, particularly for the prevention of terrorism and crime. The NSA maintains several database networks in which they receive private information on American citizens. The agency has access to phone calls, emails, photos, recordings, and backgrounds of practically all people residing in the United States. Started in 1952 by President Harry Truman, the NSA is tasked with the global monitoring and surveillance of targeted individuals in American territory. As part of the growing practice of mass surveillance in the United States, the agency collects and stores all phone records of all American citizens. People argue that this collected information is very intrusive, and the NSA may find something personal that someone may not have wanted anyone to know. While this intrusion's main purpose is to avoid events of terrorism, recent information leaks by Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor, show that the agency may actually be infringing upon the rights of the American citizen. Whether people like it or not, it seems that the NSA will continue to spy on the people of the United States in an attempt to avert acts of terrorism. Although there are many pros and cons to this surveillance of American citizens, the agency is ultimately just doing its job to protect the lives of the people. Unless a person is actually planning on committing a major crime, there is no real reason for citizens to worry about the NSA and it's invasion of our privacy. The agency is not out to look for embarrassing information about its citizens, rather, only searches for and analyzes information which may lead to the identification of a targe...
We all have heard the quote “Life, Liberty, Land, and the Pursuit to Happiness” and that is the promise of a life here in America. As Americans we pride ourselves on these freedoms that allow us to live everyday. We are one of the only countries that have this promise and it is what draws people from all of over the world to come here. Our founding fathers of the United States of America wrote these words, having no idea the impact that they would have for the rest of this countries history. Those words were the foundation for government, and it wasn’t perfect at first but slowly it matured into what we have today, strong and powerful. To other nations America is seen as the World Power, and a somewhat perfect nation to live in. Unfortunately corruption, scandals and controversies have tainted our once golden glow, and other nations are weary of watching their steps. One of the most controversial elements to our government is the NSA. Hidden in the shadows from American and global knowledge is what the NSA is actually doing and watching out for. Only very recently has the NSA been ripped from the shadows and brought to light what exactly is going on inside those walls. They are “spying” on not only America’s personal data, but foreign leaders as well. The NSA says it’s for the safety for everyone against terrorism and attacks. However, it has gone way to far and violates a constitutional right, privacy. The NSA has overstepped their boundaries, and spying doesn’t seem to make a difference in safety.
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.
In early June 2013, Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former defense contractor who had access to NSA database while working for an intelligence consulting company, leaked classified documents reports that the National Security Agency (NSA) is recording phone calls of millions of Americans along with gathering private data and spying foreign Internet activity. The Washington Post later broke the news disclosed PRISM, a program can collect data on Internet users. The leaked documents publicly stated a vast objection. Many people were shocked by the scale of the programs, even elected representatives were unaware of the surveillance range. A nationwide debate over privacy rights have been sparked. Although supporters claim that the NSA only does its best to protect the United States from terrorists as well as respecting Americans' rights and privacy, many civil rights advocates feel that the government failed to be clear about the limit of the surveillance programs, threatening Americans' civil...
Domestic Surveillance Citizens feeling protected in their own nation is a crucial factor for the development and advancement of that nation. The United States’ government has been able to provide this service for a small tax and for the most part it is money well spent. Due to events leading up to the terrifying attacks on September 11, 2001 and following these attacks, the Unites States’ government has begun enacting certain laws and regulations that ensure the safety of its citizens. From the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 to the most recent National Security Agency scandal, the government has attempted and for the most part succeeded in keeping domestic safety under control. Making sure that the balance between obtaining enough intelligence to protect the safety of the nation and the preservation of basic human rights is not extremely skewed, Congress has set forth requisites in FISA which aim to balance the conflicting goals of privacy and security; but the timeline preceding this act has been anything but honorable for the United States government.
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 world erupted in outrage following revelations by Edward Snowden regarding the extent of surveillance perform by the National Security Agency. Privacy becomes one of the hottest topic of 2013 and was chosen by the world’s most popular online dictionary, Dictionary.com, as the Word of the Year. However, the government is not the only one that conduct data gathering and surveillance. Employers often monitor their employees, and businesses collect data on theirs customer. The morality of these practices is a topic that generates heated debate.
Across genres and even within genres surveillance is presented in a multitude of ways and in diverse contexts. People feel entitled to keep surveillance on the world around them, to feel safe and secure, but feel as though their rights are being infringed on when they are the one being watched. There is a fine line between security and freedom, and one cannot expect both without sacrificing pieces of
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.
He includes the valued metaphor of the Pandora’s box and researched the reliability of the government securing the Internet. He showed data that “In 2013, following disclosures that the National Security Agency had violated it own data collection rules more than 2,500 times in the course of a year, agency officials admitted that some of these incidents were personal in nature. A dozen or more cases involved NSA workers spying on their lovers and spouses. ” This proves that the “security” from the other side is only unwarranted government surveillance.
In addition, some contrary issues such as national security and public safety may allow infringement of privacy rights. Infringement of the privacy rights should only be carried out to protect the citizens’ freedom, health prevention of crime or disorder in the society. For the purpose of national security, a high-level technological surveillance system can be developed with significant benefits without probing and intruding individual's private space. I also believe national security and public safety surveillance system with significant benefits can be developed with without probing and intruding into individual’s