The Snowden Affair Dbq

Document Review 1 The set of documents I will be reviewing are documents 118, 1, 4, and 26 regarding The Snowden Affair. The Snowden Affair is about a national security controversy that had to do with the National Security Agency (NSA) and its undisclosed surveillance of communications of American citizens under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The information was leaked by Eduard Snowden, a former NSA agent and was published by a British newspaper, The Guardian. The Guardian revealed the NSA’s surveillance operations which included the archiving and tracking of vast amounts of data regarding use of electronic devices of U.S. citizens U.S. citizens and any foreign communications. The data revealed that Internet traffic and
The document goes over the original definition, purpose, and procedures of the FISA when it was passed in 1978 including instances when court the needs to approve of electronic surveillance and when a court order is not needed. With the Snowden leaks the FISA Act has come under scrutiny of the American public and U.S. allies. The document basically lays out the context and criteria of when the act can be legally utilized, in the events of endangerment to national security, domestic lives, espionage, and spying for a foreign power, etc. The act under the context of the Snowden Affair was meant to specifically track and find any terroristic dealings whether they be domestic or international. Since, after the 9/11 attacks greater emphasis has been put on that the FISA act should be utilized to find, monitor, and prevent and defend against terrorism after the event of 9/11 whether it be international or
after the 9/11 attacks. Document 4 specifically goes over how the act affects the cyber and internet in dealing with U.S. security and protection along with how the act affects e-commerce and allows the government and officials acting on the defense and protection of national security and domestic security to monitor internet activities. The act allows for the government to have more power and ability to detect and prevent terrorism via the internet and computer technologies, such as powers to investigate and act on serious cybercrimes. Furthermore, the act labels act of computer trespassing of terrorism. The act also allows gives law enforcement more authority to acquire electronic data, communications and internet activity to track criminals and suspicious activities. Allows for a court under jurisdiction to issue warrants that allows for electronic searches for anywhere in the country. Document 4 also reviews the issues that the USA PATRIOT act creates such as the concerns with privacy and civil liberties of U.S. citizens since the act allows for government and law enforcement more power to monitor and investigate cyber activities. The act also deals with issues regarding E-commerce that may make the ability to conduct e-commerce more difficult,