privacy and wiretapping

As American citizens is privacy something we have the right to or is this a privilege that the government can take from us? Most people do not understand the process of how to acquire a wiretapping permit or if the government even needs one to listen to us, most people also think that the government can listen in on us at any time is this true? The government, an employer and the telephone company are the only groups who can legally apply for a wiretap order. A wiretap order is a permit to be able to wiretap peoples phone lines. Does this invade the privacy of the average person? In order to understand wiretapping an individual must understand what communication is, what the federal laws state and why we have these laws, and what the state laws decree.

There are only three forms of communication as far as the government is concerned (that will apply to the wiretapping act). First of these is oral communication, this is concerning face to face confrontations between individuals. This form of interaction requires the authorities to obtain a wiretap order in or for the government to bug your house or have an officer or citizen wear a wire. The second form of communication is wire communication and this is what the average person is most aware of when it comes to wiretapping. This form of interaction can take place through any form of phone line and even through the internet. The authorities do need a wiretap order for them to listen in on what someone is saying. The only exception to this is if you are broadcasting through a radio signal which makes it public a public announcement. The last and final form of communication that the wiretap act concerns to is electronic communication. This form of communication goes by the same guideli...

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Works Cited

Espejo, Roman. Privacy. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2011. Print. Opposing View Points.

"Fact Sheet 9: Wiretapping and Eavesdropping on Telephone Calls." Wiretapping and Eavesdropping on Telephone Calls. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, Feb. 2014. Web. 01 May 2014.

"Flordia." Reporters Committee For Freedom Of The Press. Reporters Committee For Freedom Of The Press, 1 Aug. 2012. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.

Mullikin, Arwen, and Syed Shawon M. Rahman. "The Ethical Dilemma Of The Usa Government Wiretapping." International Journal of Managing Information Technology 2.4 (2010): 32-39. Print.

"Wiretapping Law Protections | EFF Surveillance Self-Defense Project." Wiretapping Law Protections | EFF Surveillance Self-Defense Project. Surveillance Self-Defense, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.