Civil Liberties And Privacy Analysis

The protection of civil liberties is privately funded by individual organizations, but should be endorsed by the federal government because it is significantly less expensive than national security expenditures. The American Civil Liberties Union, or the ACLU, is transparent with their stance on privacy, as their website outlines their efforts against surveillance, watchlisting, and other government spying practices (“Privacy and Surveillance,” n.d., para. 4). The total lobbying expenditures—on the issues of privacy and other freedoms—in 2016 was $966,277 (“American Civil Liberties Union,” n.d., para. 2). In contrast, Edward Snowden revealed to the Washington Post that the National Security Agency “was in line to receive $10.5 billion in 2013,”