The Government: Watching Everything You Do

1512 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Government surveillance and privacy issues

The government — they are watching everything you do. For many people, they would think that saying phrases like this would make someone look like a crazy or some kind of conspiracy theorist. Though it turns out that these statements are true in a sense that the many governments and not just the U.S. are surveilling its own citizens and other people around the world by tracking and recording their phone calls, e-mails, and other communications. The main way this came into the light is the recent and ongoing controversy with the NSA and leaks from whistleblowers like Edward Snowden. These revelations are raising doubts in people’s minds and they are wanting to make change or reform to the government(s). Through this revelation, made by the help of whistleblowers and news sources, there are questions on what caused this agency to get started, how are they operating, what do they know, what is causing so much attention to this specific current event, and what is driving people to demand change and reform.
The NSA or the National Security Agency, is “the largest intelligence agency in the US, which is responsible for collecting and analyzing communications and signals intelligence, plus cybersecurity” ( MacAskill, Borger, and Greenwald par. 1-2). Since its inception, “the very existence of the National Security Agency was not revealed more than two decades after its establishment in 1952” ( MacAskill, Borger, and Greenwald par. 1). and since “its structure and activities remain largely unknown. Hence its wry nickname: No Such Agency” ( MacAskill, Borger, and Greenwald par.1). “Once President Harry Truman established the NSA, its purpose was to collect data and information across the country and internationally. The task originally gi...

... middle of paper ...

.... 10 Nov. 2013.

"Jewel v. NSA | Electronic Frontier Foundation." Electronic Frontier Foundation. Electronic Frontier Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

Lam, Lana. "Whistle-blower Edward Snowden Tells SCMP: 'Let Hong Kong People Decide My Fate'" South China Morning Post. South China Morning Post, 12 June 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

MacAskill, Ewen, and James Ball. "Portrait of the NSA: No Detail Too Small in Quest for Total
Surveillance." The Guardian. The Guardian, 2 Nov. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

MacAskill, Ewen, Julian Borger, and Glenn Greenwald. "The National Security Agency: Surveillance Giant with Eyes on America." The Guardian. The Guardian, 6 June 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

Lam, Lana. "Whistle-blower Edward Snowden Tells SCMP: 'Let Hong Kong People Decide My Fate'" South China Morning Post. South China Morning Post, 12 June 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • New York Times Co. versus United States: The Security of Secrets

    1965 Words  | 4 Pages

    McCraw, David, and Stephen Gikow. “The End to a Unspoken Bargain? National Security and Leaks in a Post-Pentagon Papers World.” Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review 48.2 (2013): 473-509. Academic OneFile. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.

    Read More

  • The NSA, Privacy and the War or Terrorism

    1550 Words  | 4 Pages

    "The Triumph of Technique – The Logic of the NSA." LibrarianShipwreck. WordPress.com, 22 June 2013. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • Privacy Is Not Privlege

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    With the introduction of the internet being a relatively new phenomenon, the act of cyber espionage is not something that has been properly acknowledged by society. The American Government has done a stand up job of keeping its methods in the shadows and away from the eyes of its people since its documented domestic surveillance began on October 4th, 2001; Twenty three days after the Twin Towers fell President George Bush signed an order to begin a secret domestic eavesdropping operation, an operation which was so sensitive that even many of the country's senior national security officials with the...

    Read More

  • US Government Monitoring Its Citizens

    1413 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • National Security Agency's Prism Program

    2540 Words  | 6 Pages

    In the past few years the National Security Agency has been all over the news, and not in a good way. Former contractor of the National Security Edward Snowden leaked classified documents to several media outlets on such a scale the world took notice. The day the world learned about the Prism program among others was June, 5, 2013 when Ed Snowden gave the specifics of the programs to The Guardian, and the Washington Post. Ed Snowden turned those secrets over as a member of the NSA but fled the country before the leaks so he would not be imprisoned by the authorities. Immediately after the leaks Ed Snowden became infamous with around the clock watch as to what country would grant his asylum, he currently resides in a Moscow airport pending appeal (Staff, 2013). He claimed he “did not want to live in a society like this” that’s why he decided to turn over states secret for all the world to see (Staff, 2013). Now that you know the man behind the leaks it is time that you find out about the program, and the reach and impact it really had.

    Read More

  • Snowden Research Papers

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    Currently, Snowden’s leaks have revealed a global surveillance apparatus used by the NSA as well as Britain’s Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group, a surveillance apparatus in the UK that conducts real time monitoring of social media networks. The exact size of Snowden's disclosure is unknown, but the following are possible: 15,000 or more Australian intelligence files, according to Australian officials9; at least 58,000 British intelligence files, according to British officials10; and roughly 1.7 million U.S. intelligence files, according to U.S. officials.11 Snowden’s leaks are unprecedented on several levels. His disclosure has been called the most significant leak in U.S. history by Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg.12 Regardless of future action, the debate on the protection of...

    Read More

  • Edward Snowden: An American Hero

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency (N.S.A) subcontractor turned whistle-blower is nothing short of a hero. His controversial decision to release information detailing the highly illegal ‘data mining’ practices of the N.S.A have caused shockwaves throughout the world and have raised important questions concerning how much the government actually monitors its people without their consent or knowledge. Comparable to Mark Felt in the Watergate scandals, Daniel Ellsberg with the Pentagon Papers, Edward Snowden joins the rank of infamous whistleblowers who gave up their jobs, livelihood, and forever will live under scrutiny of the public all in the service to the American people. Edward Snowden released information detailing the extent of the N.S.A breaches of American privacy and in doing so, became ostracized by the media and barred from freely reentering America, his home country.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of The Government Invasion Of Privacy

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    Privacy is the state of being free from being observed or disturbed by other people.

    Read More

  • The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

    2043 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

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

    1896 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Internet Privacy: Edward Snowden

    1686 Words  | 4 Pages

    The American government used to be able to keep the people in happy ignorance to the fact that they watch every move they make. After certain revelations of people like Edward Snowden, the public knows the extent of the government spying. On June 5, 2013 Edward Snowden leaked documents of the NSA to the Guardian (The Guardian 2). The whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed to the world how the American government collects information like cell phone metadata, Internet history, emails, location from phones, and more. President Obama labeled the man a traitor because he showed the world the illegal acts the NSA performs on US citizens (Service of Snowden 1). The government breached the people’s security, and now the people are afraid because everyone is aware of how the US disapproves of people who do not agree with their programs. Obama said that these programs find information about terrorists living in the US, but he has lit...

    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

  • Edward Snowden: Traitor or Whistleblower

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    Why Edward Snowden Is a Hero? The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web.

    Read More

  • The Issues With Public Surveillance

    817 Words  | 2 Pages

    ACLU. "What's Wrong With Public Video Surveillance?" American Civil Liberties Union. N.p., 25 Feb. 2002. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

    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

More about The Government: Watching Everything You Do

Open Document