Preview

Privacy Vs National Security

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
513 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Privacy Vs National Security
You can’t just choose between national security and privacy, it isn’t that black and white; the key is finding the balance between them for the right time. Privacy vs. national security has been an ongoing national and international debate that has many different ways to approach it from. There are certain things people must know before debating this topic, one of which being The Patriot Act. This is an example of a national Act attempting to balance national security and privacy. There’s also an example of this topic much closer to home with the Apple FBI scandal, which happened earlier this year. This debate is so hard to solve because it is ever changing with different current events.
Mr. Howard uses spacing to his advantage to deliver main

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    What is more important to the citizens of America? The right to their privacy and doing what they want as they wish, in private? Or are they okay with the government surveilling every living thing that they do? Through loopholes in the Patriot Act, the government misuses their power by spying on millions of innocent Americans. The people do have rights within the fourth Amendment though. Simplified, it states that Americans have the right to privacy unless there is probable cause. (Kids n.d.) Where do we as Americans draw the line?…

    • 3008 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The US constitution does not contain a specific right to privacy but the Bill of Rights does imply it. The ninth amendment of the Bill of Rights reads “the bill of rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage other rights retained by the people”. This amendment states that the rights of the people that are not specifically named are still equally important as the ones that are. Since the constitution does not give the government the right to violate privacy, it is said to be the same as retaining the right to privacy for the citizens. It is more of an implied right than an expressed one.…

    • 1489 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The recent September 11th attacks have caused many Americans to wonder about the personal sacrifices to be made in order to keep the nation "safe and free." With mixed results, it has become a common practice throughout history to restrict personal freedoms in the name of national security. Many questions arise from this process: Where is the line drawn? If liberties are restricted do they ever truly return? If it is true that we are doomed to repeat history if we fail to learn from it, an examination into the circumstances of the Japanese American internment in 1942 may inform the ways to most effectively deal with the security concerns faced by Americans today.…

    • 522 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There are many of strategies for diminishing the injustices associated with surveillance. There are strategies at an individual level such as educating the public, engaging in civil disobedience, civil procedures, and guerilla tactics that can help one achieve justice. There are also strategies at an organizational level to help seek justice such as educating the public, civil actions in court, civil disobedience, and violence or threat of violence.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    In 2010, it became legal for the National Security Agency (NSA) to access private email logs, social media accounts and other internet databases (Risen & Poitras, "N.S.A. Gathers Data on Social Connections of U.S. Citizens). Risen and Poitras (2013) explain that the intention of this change was to help protect the United States (U.S.) from future terrorist attacks and was for the general purpose of national safety. It is unclear how many terrorist attacks all of this new intelligence has actually prevented, however, it is very clear that the NSA’s actions are violating the privacy of not only American citizens, but everyone who lives on American soil. With the internet as a resource, this means that they can not only listen in to conversations, but access virtually any data that is entered via the internet. This includes credit card numbers, GPS coordinates, flight destinations, contact information for family members, personal pictures and much more. The NSA not only violates the constitutional rights of American citizens, it puts everyone in the country at great personal risk for crimes such as fraud and discrimination.…

    • 1348 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Liberty vs. Security

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1- Identify the arguments for and against having a national I.D. card. Would such a card make you feel more secure? What personal concerns might you have about such a system?…

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    How important is your privacy? Most people would agree having privacy is a huge concern, especially when it involves personal business. In recent breaking news, Edward Snowden, a 30-year-old high school dropout, who worked for the NSA, released private information to America. He announced the NSA is tracking citizen's phone calls and monitoring emails. Most people in the U.S. were very frustrated once the information went viral. Many people believe Edward Snowden should not have released the information he knew. However, if he did not reveal the secrets of the NSA, many citizens in America will still be clueless.…

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    America's Privacy

    • 1205 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The National Security Agency (NSA) is a federal program under the Department of Defense that has the primarily task of global monitoring, collection, decoding, translation and analysis of information and data for foreign intelligence and counterintelligence purposes, including surveillance of targeted individuals on U.S. soil. In the mid-1970s, the NSA was investigated for the first time by Congress. At that time, the order of the NSA was that is “would never direct it’s surveillance apparatus domestically.” After the investigation was performed, Frank Church, the Democratic senator who was the head of the investigative committee, warned: “The NSA’s capability at any time could be turned around on the American people, and no American would have any privacy left, such is the capability to monitor everything: telephone conversation, telegrams, it doesn’t matter” (Greenwald). Recent leakage of government documents, that shows evidence of immense domestic spying, has many Americans worried that Frank Church’s warning has become a reality. So, what exactly is the NSA collecting and why? How does the United States’ data collection compare to that of other countries? And most importantly, have the government and the NSA put the privacy of US citizens at risk?…

    • 1205 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Civil Liberties

    • 819 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Protection of civil liberties and civil rights is conceivably one of the most fundamental political values in American culture. As the Fourth Amendment commends “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.” The government and the NSA have violated this prestige amendment by not respecting the privacy of innocent Americans throughout the country. Understanding their mentality and how they are handling these situations to protect the nation under certain circumstances is one way to look at this, but also keeping in mind having them wiretap into everything we do is going overboard. With the top secret program the NSA has acquired ‘PRISM’ allows the United States intelligence community to access information from nine internet…

    • 819 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “When it comes to privacy and accountability, people always demand the former for themselves and the latter for everyone else.” By definition privacy is the state or condition of being free from being observed or disturbed by other people. What separates us from individuals in other countries is the rulebook we follow-namely the constitution. Collectively (government and citizens) agree to follow the rules (according to the constitution), but sometimes the rules must be stretched or broken. The government should violate a civil liberty provided by the constitution when it is for the safety of the country.…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    NSA surveillance

    • 884 Words
    • 3 Pages

    People tend to approach this topic on a “national security v. civil liberties” meanwhile nothing says that both cannot exist together. It is absolutely possible to have national security while still preserving the civil liberties of the citizens. Everyone would like to live in an ideal world where the government takes an idealistic approach because that would mean leaving the people completely vulnerable to outside threats. What the people fail to realize is that modern terrorists online are a real risk to this country. They use the internet as a way to contact each other. The internet holds fatal information like how to make a bomb which anyone and everyone can have access to. Terrorists would also have access to most of the information needed about the enemy in order to make their attack successful. The media has portrayed the NSA as a negative and unnecessary agency meanwhile there is nothing negative and unnecessary about keeping this country safe. The NSA doesn’t target innocent Americans one by one. The NSA works solely for our benefit and safety.…

    • 884 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Patriot Act

    • 1096 Words
    • 4 Pages

    After the events of September 11, 2001 the US Congress had little resistance and passed legislation known as the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA Patriot Act). This act along with many other regulations allowed the federal government to become more involved in personal affairs for the security of the nation. The privacy of yesterday doesn’t exist in order for the protection of the nation from further terrorist attacks. Terrorism is a threat that is globally a threat to the infrastructures of government and used as a way to inflict fear and panic into a clam structured environment. The Patriot Act not only is for the protection of and surveillance to investigate terrorist, but also Americans that can possibly do harm to our nation. The lack of balance that allows racially motivated surveillance is just one example of how civil liberties are violated. Terrorism is a serious matter that should not be handled lightly, but the act has gone over the top in trying to stop terrorism. The Patriot Act is a very positive act when used properly, but the manipulation of it by our government allows its abuse. With its almost unanimous decision by the Senate and same in the House the act went unopposed. Americans believe that a little violation of privacy is necessary for vigilance to protect the nation.…

    • 1096 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    NSA Pros And Cons

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages

    However the U. S. Constitution contains no actual right to privacy. The constitution only protects certain aspects of the individual.In the constitution certain amendments state only some things to be private not all. Some examples being, officials not being able to search your home without probable cause and no government involvement in making personal decisions. There is no actual right to overall privacy so the NSA has a right to go through different forms of communications in order to keep the people…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Security vs. Liberty

    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the wake of September 11th, the country was in turmoil. Fear and confusion were rampant; direction was required. President George Bush, in a famous address, acknowledged the severity of the attacks, and called for a newly invigorated sense of nationalism. His plan for preventing future attacks called for the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, and expanded powers to intelligence agencies (Bush). During this time, one of the most provocative bills was allowed to pass, under the guise of a terrorist seeking bill. The Patriot Act was indeed effective in increasing the power allotted to surveillance agencies, but many feel at too high of a cost. Many have asked the question… "is the cure worse than the disease?" In order to appropriately analyze the Patriot Act, it is important to look at its exact stipulations, and how it has been used (misused) at the time of its passage and now.…

    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    I have a quote from the National Security Agency, “If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.” Resolve: The benefits of domestic surveillance by the NSA outweigh the harms. From Oxford dictionary, I have a definition of privacy: freedom from unauthorized intrusion. The 4th Amendment from the constitution, “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." According to Cornell University Law School, the 4th amendment “prohibits generalized searches, unless extraordinary circumstances place the general public in danger.”…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays