US Government Monitoring Its Citizens

1413 Words3 Pages

Whether the U.S. government should strongly keep monitoring U.S. citizens or not still is a long and fierce dispute. Recently, the debate became more brutal when technology, an indispensable tool for modern live, has been used by the law enforcement and national security officials to spy into American people’s domestic.
Since the terrorist attacks at Sept. 11, 2001, the surveillance issue often has turned away the table in the debate of individual privacy or counterterrorism. By passing the Patriot Act, Congress gave President Bush an immense law enforcement authority to boost U.S's counterterrorism, and the President used his enlarged powers to forward specific programs in order to reduce the threat of terrorism and defend the country’s safety.
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...

... middle of paper ...

...potential terrorist activity.

WORK CITED
McCutcheon, Chuck. "Government Surveillance." CQ Researcher 30 Aug. 2013: 717-40. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
"Domestic Surveillance." Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 18 Nov. 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .
"NSA Surveillance Programs." Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 14 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .

WORK CITED
McCutcheon, Chuck. "Government Surveillance." CQ Researcher 30 Aug. 2013: 717-40. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
"Domestic Surveillance." Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 18 Nov. 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .
"NSA Surveillance Programs." Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 14 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .

Show More
Related

  • 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

  • 1984 Argument

    1261 Words  | 3 Pages

    "The Government Is Spying On Us Through Our Computers, Phones, Cars, Buses, Streetlights, At Airports And On The Street, Via Mobile Scanners And Drones, Through Our Smart Meters, And In Many Other Ways." Washington. 23 Sept 2013: n. page. Web. 2 Dec. 2013. .

    Read More

  • The Unacceptable Privacy Infrigment

    1185 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rosen, David. Four ways your privacy is being invaded. 11 september 2012. 13 february 2014 .

    Read More

  • Tension between Freedom and Security

    523 Words  | 2 Pages

    The government’s recent surveillance does not pass this test. This is unwarranted bulk screening that goes against some of our country’s most basic values. What make this security measure different from others, such as airport security, are the consent and pervasiveness factors: Plane passengers choose to fly, and the rights suspended are limited (Although TSA officers may discover the contents of your bag, they do not truly learn about you). This new all-encompassing surveillance, however, is unavoidable.

    Read More

  • God Eye: The U.S Government's Obsession with its Own People

    1889 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Age of Technology we currently inhabit is one that I truly believe will be reflected upon as the greatest [age] of all time by the time it is over. I say this because of the sheer amount of technological developments we have at our disposal, the revolutionary breakthroughs we have made, and in sheer awe of the of the amount of potential possibilities that we have at our disposal to unlock and grant the future. Although, we are amidst a great age of time, there are still flaws apparent throughout that still continue to linger unwanted by many- myself included. One such flaw that has continued to plague us with its existence is law enforcement’s along with the U.S government’s abrupt favoritism of invading our privacy by utilizing whatever despicable means they have at their disposal to do so. One such mean that law enforcement as well as the government as a whole possess are the cameras they use to watch us: these cameras that track us as if we are only mere dots on a screen, not human beings with any expectance of privacy. Yes, I, for one, believe wholeheartedly that any acts of intrusive surveillance such as that of law enforcement biased, favored usage of cameras upon an individual or populace constitutes a valid offence of the charge known as invasion of privacy.

    Read More

  • 1984 vs Today

    871 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Web. 4 Dec. 2013. Calamur, Krishnadev. A.P.S. & B.A.S. 5 Things To Know About The NSA's Surveillance Activities. NPR.com - "The New York Times" NPR, n.d. -

    Read More

  • Privacy vs. Security

    1260 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Government Surveillance

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    To understand the concept of government surveillance and the different opinion people may have when it comes to it, it is important to first look at the legality of it all. It is no question whether or not legal cases involving the internet and data are different than those with physical evidence. The closest example

    Read More

  • Civil Rights: Government Surveillance

    2208 Words  | 5 Pages

    But it is important to realize that with this new and improved security, the government has faltered to uphold their duties in protecting the privacy rights of U.S. citizens. There are several laws and acts that go against the citizens’ Fourth Amendment rights and some action should be taken to re-ensure that all of the citizens’ rights are protected. The NSA’s method of spying on citizens has proven to not only be contradictory towards a person’s Fourth Amendment right, but also a secret that has only recently surfaced and should be brought to the attention of all citizens. The overall protection of one’s privacy is in a full-fledged debate within the government system; as well as citizens who are deciding if the government’s surveillance methods have [gone] too far (“NSA Files: Decoded”). As the debate carries on, whichever method that proves to fix the problem will become known as time

    Read More

  • Arguments Against Government Electronic Surveillance

    2201 Words  | 5 Pages

    When it comes to government electronic surveillance, we as a society have to ask questions. What is being monitored, what is considered private, and does this infringement upon my right to privacy? How long has this been going on and where will the line be drawn? One thing is certain, there are multiple ways that we are being monitored and we do not even know it. How much further will this go? The questions are endless. Government electronic surveillance is here whether we like it or not and it does more good than harm. How closely is “big brother” actually watching? How far will we go to keep America safe and at what cost? One final question we must ask is will we brush aside our arguments in order to be safe in today’s American society?

    Read More

  • Big Brother Surveillance

    354 Words  | 1 Pages

    The issue of surveillance in general is a common one in society, but one specific facet of this overall issue is

    Read More

  • The Effectiveness and Ethicality of Mass Surveillance

    1958 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the wake of the National Security Agency's (NSA) scandal of 2013, the principles and usage of surveillance programs have been debated on an international level. The debacle began when former NSA contractor, Edward Snowden, released classified security files on the NSA's mass data surveillance programs to journalists at The Guardian, a British newspaper ("The Surveillance State..."). The contents of the leaks reveal intrusive programs, such as PRISM, that obtain large amounts of user data from American companies in the form of telephone numbers, emails, private documents, and videos, all in the name of preventing terrorist activity ("The Surveillance State..."). The existence of such data mining without the users' knowledge or consent catalyzes enormous controversy among U.S. citizens and global leaders, in spite of assurances from American government authorities that the usage of mass surveillance is imperative to inhibiting terrorist activities in America. Despite these claims, there is no substantial evidence that mass telephone and internet surveillance is essential to preventing terrorist activities because of statistical and situational support and the violation of ethical and legal citizen privacy rights.

    Read More

  • Surveillance and Privacy Issues

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, government agencies, especially in America, continue to lobby for increased surveillance capabilities, particularly as technologies change and move in the direction of social media. Communications surveillance has extended to Internet and digital communications. law enforcement agencies, like the NSA, have required internet providers and telecommunications companies to monitor users’ traffic. Many of these activities are performed under ambiguous legal basis and remain unknown to the general public, although the media’s recent preoccupation with these surveillance and privacy issues is a setting a trending agenda.

    Read More

  • Law Enforcement Cameras an Invasion of Privacy

    1067 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kelly, Heather. "After Boston: The Pros and Cons of Surveillance Cameras." CNN. Cable News Network, 26 Apr. 2013. Web. 14 May 2014.

    Read More

  • The Internet: Information Gateway or Exploitative Medium?

    1862 Words  | 4 Pages

    Intelligence agencies around the world, particularly the U.S., have started surveillance on their own citizens to maintain national security. While stating that it is to protect the people, the government uses the internet to survey its own people to thwart terrorism, but at the cost of personal privacy. The idea of government surveillance in America has its roots in the 1930’s over a wiretapping case, Katz v. United States, where the police “placed an eavesdropping device on a public payphone” to record his illegal gambling operation (Esau 58). The Supreme Court ruled that the police “violated the Fourth Amendment,” and the case was thrown out of court (Esau 58). Today, there are rules, requiring warrants to be obtained before performing any surveillance by a “judge with jurisdiction over the matter” (Esau 58). Over the past years since 9/11, terrorism has increased worldwide, as has the effort to thwart it. After 9/11, the Patriot Act was implemented to streamline the efforts needed to obtain warrant. Proving ineffective, President Bush expanded “approving wiretaps without warrants” by

    Read More

More about US Government Monitoring Its Citizens

Open Document