The Importance Of Invasion Of Privacy

As human beings and citizens of the world, everyone values their privacy. It is a right that is often looked over and taken for granted by most. Since the beginning of time, there have been concerns about individuals’ rights to privacy and their personal information remaining confidential. Our founding fathers had concerns about this which is why, “…this right has developed into

Privacy is, and should continue to be, a fundamental dimension of living in a free, democratic society. Laws protect “government, credit, communications, education, bank, cable, video, motor vehicle, health, telecommunications, children’s and financial information; generally carve out exceptions for disclosure of personal information; and authorize the use of warrants, subpoenas, and court orders to obtain the information.” (Protecting Individual Privacy in the Struggle Against Terrorists: A Framework for Program Assessment, 2008) This is where a lot of people feel as though they have their privacy violated. Most Americans are law-abiding citizens who do not commit illegal acts against the country, they want to go about their lives, minding their own business and not having to worry about outside interference. The fine line between privacy and National Security may not be so fine in everyone’s mind. While it is the job of government agencies to ensure the overall safety of the country and those living in it, the citizens that obey the law and do not do anything illegal often wonder why they are subject to any kind of search, when they can clearly point out, through documentation, that they have never done anything wrong.

During the past decade, an issue has arisen from the minds of people, on which is more important? Privacy or national security? The problem with the privacy is that people do not feel they have enough of it and national security is increasing causing the government to be less worried about the people. National security is growing out of control which has led to the decrease in people’s privacy and has created fear in the eyes of U.S. citizens. “Twelve years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and amid a summer of revelations about the extent of the surveillance state built up to prevent others, leaders, experts and average Americans alike are searching for the right balance between security and privacy” (Noble). Americans should be able to live their daily lives without fear of an overpowered government or a “big brother” figure taking over. “According to a CBS News poll released Tuesday evening, nearly 6 in 10 Americans said they disapproved of the federal government’s collecting phone records of ordinary Americans in order to reduce terrorism” (Gonchar). While it is good to keep our country safe with security, American’s privacy should be more important because there is a substantial amount of national security, the people 's rights should matter first.

The personal rights that lead to a good life are important but the most important right is the right to privacy. People have been talking for years about the right of privacy. The use of computers made access to Americans personal data very easy. The government knowledge about people’s privacy and personal information can be a benefit to Americans but it also can lead to a serious damage. From the bright side, knowing these information makes it easier to pass social security checks, making medical

The Government should not be able to look through people’s personal information because it goes against the fourth amendment. An example of this is, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized” (constituteproject web). The constitution states it is not right for

It has been more than seventy years since the release of George Orwell’s 1984, a novel that imparts a lesson on the consequences of government overreach. However, today that novel reads like an exposé of government surveillance. Privacy and national security are two ideas competing for value on a balance; if one is more highly valued, the other carries less weight. Government desire to bolster national security by spying on its own citizens-- even the law abiding ones-- is what leads to the inverse relationship between civil liberties and security. In times of a perceived threat to the nation, national security becomes highly prized and people lose privacy. One case is terrorist attacks. 9/11 caused an understandable kneejerk reaction in Americans to bolster protection. Some of the the measures taken were observable, like greater security at airports, but others attempted to increase national security in a more intrusive way. Privacy should be more highly valued than national security, and America has reached a point where that is no longer true.

The right to privacy means controlling your own personal information and the ability to allow or deny access to others. As Americans, we feel it's a right not a privilege to have privacy. IT technology and the events of September 11, 2001 are diminishing that right, whether its workplace privacy or personal privacy. From sending email, applying for a job, or even using the telephone, Americans right to privacy is in danger. Personal and professional information is being stored, link, transferred, shared, and even sold without your permission or knowledge. IT technology has benefited mankind tremendously in so many areas, but its also comes with a price. Advancements in technology make all individuals vulnerable to

Privacy is what allows people to feel secure in their surroundings. With privacy, one is allowed to withhold or distribute the information they want by choice, but the ability to have that choice is being violated in today’s society. Benjamin Franklin once said, “He who sacrifices freedom or liberty will eventually have neither.” And that’s the unfortunate truth that is and has occurred in recent years. Privacy, especially in such a fast paced moving world, is extremely vital yet is extremely violated, as recently discovered the NSA has been spying on U.S. citizens for quite a while now; based on the Fourth Amendment, the risk of leaked and distorted individual information, as well as vulnerability to lack of anonymity.

Technology has come a long way since the early 90’s. With modern advances, technology is just about incorporated in everything we do in our day-to-day lives. Since technology has been incorporated into our everyday lives, it may raise some concerns about what may be happening in the background. One of these concerns would be privacy, we all may take it for granted but it is our constitutional rights as Americans. But this all changed after the September 2001 attack on the twin towers.

Would you give up your privacy for a little bit of security? The two go hand in hand. Our advancing technology provides our government with the tools to fulfill its top priority—national security. But where is the line drawn between security and privacy? Privacy is not only a value to many Americans—it is a right protected under the Fourth Amendment. But to what extent? The technology meant to protect us seems to be invading the little privacy we have left, having diminished greatly over the years. It has been said, “Give me liberty or give me death!” Since 9/11, security in our daily lives has been a concern for many Americans and the government has since made efforts to secure the nation. The measures taken to protect our nation through the

On September 11, 2001, acts of terror inflicted upon the United States influenced the federal government to take action and draft legislation to combat new terrorist threats (Patriot Act). Unfortunately, the federal government used this opportunity to turn the new grandiloquence legislation, known as the Patriot Act, against the common interest of the American people. The Patriot Act allowed government agencies, such as the NSA, to monitor the actions and conversations of personal communications (Snowden). Furthermore, the act allowed the massive amounts of information to be stored in the NSA database, and some of that information collected passed around washington. When the American public realized the foul the government was committing, they became very upset with the federal government, and the emotions caused a tension between the American people and the federal government. Although, when the patriot act was first written, stated that its purpose was to combat terrorism.

This horrific event killed almost three thousand citizens and marked a pivotal moment in American policy. In his book, Surveillance After September 11, David Lyons, a British professor of sociology, reveals how this event shaped America from a privacy perspective. The United States, in league with other allied governments around the world, ramped up its domestic and international surveillance. Congress passed legislation that substantially empowered and augmented technology for spying on possible threats (Lyons). The National Security Agency (NSA) was allowed to work on more potent forms of gathering, observing, and analyzing data. This eventually led to hyper-efficient surveillance programs. Furthermore, swiftly after it was revealed that the attacks were carried out by a terrorist organization, Congress began passing a series of bills drastically increasing domestic surveillance and giving the NSA more power. As told by staff writers from the United States Department of Justice, the USA Patriot Act was enacted in October 2001, granting the government and law enforcement agencies access to more surveillance technology in order to defend the country from terrorism. It also increased the punishment for these acts and enabled policemen to spy on potential terror threats (Department of Justice Staff). While this does seem like a

The foundation of America was built on the rights of its people yet the very government meant to uphold these rights is manipulating the people into relinquishing the right to privacy. Like other fears that can be exploited by others, this national fear was exploited by the United States government. The United

Government surveillance is everywhere. It’s on street corner cameras, phones, computers, anywhere basically, and those things are unacceptable (Jessica Martin). People need their privacy; they need to feel free without having someone looking over one’s data every single minute of every day. People in the United States have the right to be free, even if they aren’t citizens, having surveillance on anyone is not right. It’s surprising how the government can see what you posted online or a private message sent to your friends and family. As human beings, one might feel protective of keeping some things private, so of course people don’t like the fact of having the government read their emails or hear private phone calls. This government surveillance kind of feels like it’s your own personal stalker in a way. One can't get any sense of ability, people are going to feel the need to speak of it, and, quite frankly, it's absolutely despicable.

Privacy is a very important thing and government should have no right to violate it because the government should respect the rights to the fourth amendment, NSA and government shouldn’t work together, and big companies shouldn’t have the right to sell customer information. The fourth amendment has been in the constitution since the 1700’s and has always been protecting Americans privacy. The NSA and government shouldn’t be able to work together because they are the ones that violate the privacy of Americans. Lastly, big companies have no right to sell or give the government customers private information. People will agree and disagree with what the government does, but they don’t think that it is actually happening to them.