The Dangers Of Government Surveillance And Why It Should Be Stopped

The problem is that as we begin to see examples of heavy surveillance in our real life, it is as if no one truly cares enough to stop it. We all still stroll on social media, and we pay for speeding tickets that we get sent in the mail. I can not help but wonder if this is the beginning of life like the one in “1984.” While I am optimistic that our society is strong and our government is not cruel, my experience of The Game reminded me of the importance of remaining vigilant against encroachments upon personal freedom and autonomy. Much like Winston’s futile resistance against the party, it is crucial to challenge oppressive systems and advocate for individual

Government surveillance is beneficial in moderation, but can quite easily become excessive. A well-known example of this is the controversy regarding the NSA monitoring U.S. citizens discreetly on American soil. This unwarranted watch crosses the fine line between monitoring criminal suspects for security, and blatant overreach of authority in spying common citizens. The personal infringement of information has been commonly associated with the NSA’s PRISM, but their MUSCULAR program is much more disconcerting. According to Harry Bruinius in “Why Tech Giants Are Now Uniting Against U.S. Surveillance”:

Government officials try to put people’s concerns to rest with these statements, but the resentment toward the “snooping” continues (Zuckerman para 4) The government does, without a doubt have reason for the NSA’s surveillance.

The primary goal of the government since its founding has been to ensure the safety of citizens. It has developed an array of methods, procedures, and systems to achieve that goal. Throughout the years there has been some form of criticism regarding its methods. The most recent cause for public disapproval and concern stems from government surveillance brought to the light by former contractor of the National Security Agency (NSA), Edward Snowden. Snowden has brought attention to the surveillance being performed by the government that involves the United States. Surveillance could significantly deteriorate relations with other countries and destroy the trust that is held between the citizens and government leading to the collapse in stability and possibly the country itself. The potential for surveillance being used as a tool for the protection of citizens can prove to be monumental, but is vastly outweighed by the negative repercussions it could inflict if misused.

Ever since the American public was made aware of the United States government’s surveillance policies, it has been a hotly debated issue across the nation. In 2013, it was revealed that the NSA had, for some time, been collecting data on American citizens, in terms of everything from their Internet history to their phone records. When the story broke, it was a huge talking point, not only across the country, but also throughout the world. The man who introduced Americans to this idea was Edward Snowden.

The 21st century has brought with it a great number of technological advancements all designed to make our lives much easier, faster, and more enjoyable. but these advancements have come at a cost. the loss of privacy associated with these new devices, is a great price people are having to pay. Many people are not aware of the severity invasive government surveillance has gotten to. According to heidi boghosian, “domestic surveillance” has been around almost as long “as the nation itself”. When did government spying on Americans become excessive and invasive of American’s privacy?

The issue between government surveillance and individual rights has been around for a while now. Government surveillance is a topic that makes most people feel uncomfortable because the idea of having someone seeing your every move is disturbing. All though many say that it is for our own safety it still has several negative outcomes. For example, our personal privacy would be completely lost, the purchasing of programs and software to see everything would be expensive, and people would not feel safe due to the fact that they would not know who exactly is seeing their personal information and what they could do with it.

Government surveillance in the past was not a big threat due to the limitations on technology; however, in the current day, it has become an immense power for the government. Taylor, author of a book on Electronic Surveillance supports, "A generation ago, when records were tucked away on paper in manila folders, there was some assurance that such information wouldn 't be spread everywhere. Now, however, our life stories are available at the push of a button" (Taylor 111). With more and more Americans logging into social media cites and using text-messaging devices, the more providers of metadata the government has. In her journal “The Virtuous Spy: Privacy as an Ethical Limit”, Anita L. Allen, an expert on privacy law, writes, “Contemporary technologies of data collection make secret, privacy invading surveillance easy and nearly irresistible. For every technology of confidential personal communication…there are one or more counter-technologies of eavesdropping” (Allen 1). Being in the middle of the Digital Age, we have to be much more careful of the kinds of information we put in our digital devices.

The US government needs to find a happy medium when it comes to surveillance. According to the ACLU, “Our Constitution and democratic system demand that the government be transparent and accountable to the people, not the other way around” (ACLU 1). Of course the government needs to protect the people, but at the same time the government needs to respect the privacy of its constituents. The government is violating the people’s rights to things such as rights to privacy, free speech, due process, and association (ACLU 1). These rights have been paid for through the blood and personal sacrifice of many brave men and women throughout American history. These rights cannot be surrendered so that the government’s job can be made easier. Security is important, but the rights of Americans are too hefty of a price to pay for it. Privacy, free speech, due process, and association are critical components of American society and without it, Americans’ lives and democracy are undermined. (Russel 3)

However, despite its unpopularity amongst many citizens, government surveillance still has many benefits to the society. In this essay we will discuss the advantages of government surveillance and espionage in detail. The following essay will discuss how government surveillance will counter terrorism and reduce crime rate which will lead to greater diplomacy, freedom, and increased sense of safety. In addition, the essay will discuss how government surveillance can help improve public health care system in Canada by allowing greater access to scientific data that may not be easily accessed. Last but not least, the essay will discuss how government surveillance may also be advantageous to Canadian economy by helping domestic businesses prosper and grow by increasing the efficiency of their business model.

The topic of national security is controversial; in fact, the controversy on limits to national security still remains a central focus in society. Americans have mixed feelings about government surveillance (Wilson 6). Some people feel that surveillance is a violation of their Fourth Amendment rights against “unreasonable searches and seizures” (Wilson 5). People use this phrase of the amendment to argue their case for personal privacy, but it is purely individual interpretation. Although the concept of privacy is included in the Fourth Amendment, the word “privacy” is not written in the Constitution (Mills 196). On the other hand, the Preamble of the Constitution contains phrases regarding security, such as “insure domestic Tranquility,”

Everyday, many people are unknowing victims of domestic surveillance, a controversial topic about government watch over people. This type of surveillance is when the government keeps U.S. citizens under great scrutiny through a variety of methods to protect the citizens. The supervision causes dissent because the system may save some people, but also violates other’s privacy. Either way, domestic surveillance should still be ended because the usage of non-stop recording police body cameras, hacked webcams and microphones in devices, and increase in biometric monitoring for security.

The controversy on government surveillance is very controversial. Should the government have unlimited access to citizen’s personal information, conversations, and text in order to protect the country? Or should the government have more of a laissez-faire-type role in citizen’s private lifestyles? Across the world, there are different approaches on the government’s surveillance on people. Iceland’s policies are the least intrusive in the world, with almost no surveillance and laws protecting the people’s freedom of speech. On the other end of the spectrum is China, which is in the process of creating a constant surveillance system of all its citizens. Somewhere in the middle of this scale is the United States of America. Influences by other

In today’s society, the subject of government surveillance is one of the nation’s most controversial topic. Since Snowden’s leakage of confidential National Security Agency (NSA) information, the United States citizens have confirmation the government is “spying” on them through phone, internet, and public communications. Government officials have spoken to the people, saying it is for safety measures; to protect citizens from potential terrorism and catastrophes like the bombing attack of 9/11. However, I have come to believe that the surveillance at the magnitude the NSA is going to is not safe nor ethic.

There are two values conflicting each other: national security and privacy of human rights. A controversial issue with those two values has got a lot of attention from the world. We found a case reflecting our topic; Snowden case. In that case indiscriminate surveillance were revealed by a man from inside. Some criticize him, but some support him. Through debates we have been at against indiscriminate surveillance. Surveillance by intelligence agencies violates human rights because of over-controlling, intended fear by government, and privacy as noble value.