Electronic Surveillance and National Security: The Benefits of Invasion of Privacy.
“Big brother is watching?” This statement and topic has been heard for decades on TV and radio broadcast shows. Big brother refers to the US government, and its’ host of agencies from the FBI to the CIA. During your everyday commute to work and school, surveillance cameras can be spotted at busy street intersections, on buildings, and now in our homes. With the advent of smartphones and smart devices, monitoring of our personal space is all but one hack away. One relevant question may be is “who is on the other side eavesdropping on our conversations and actions via our well-loved smart devices?” The answer is the FBI, CIA, and NSA.
The Immaculate Interception
Day by day, we communicate with our family, friends, loved ones, and coworkers with mainly one of three devices, which are our cell phones, tablets, and our computers. We transmit data through these devices that range from entertainment to personal and sensitive in nature. Most people are aware of hackers that intercept this transmission of data, and try to thwart unwanted access to our data by using the latest security techniques and applications that have been recommended by cyber-security experts. But what about unknown attempts that are being conducted by the US governmental agencies on US citizens everyday?
The preceding photo was taken at a rally to protest against mass surveillance. Stop Watching Us is a collective of 100 public advocacy groups, among them the American Civil Liberties Union, Freedom Works, as well as individuals like Chinese artist/activist Ai Weiwei and Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who worked with Edward Snowden to expose many of the NSA’s surveillance procedures. The rally began at 11:30 am local time on October 26 — the 12th anniversary of the US Patriot Act.
Many devices like thermostats, cameras and other appliances that are increasingly connected to the internet — are providing ample opportunity for intelligence agencies to spy on targets, and possibly the masses. And it’s a danger that many consumers who buy these products may be wholly unaware of.
Why This is Happening
Who can help but not remember the most tragic event that has ever happened America? On September 11, 2001, a group of terrorists hijacked several airplanes that ultimately were on a deadly path to collide with the famous New York City Trade Towers. Many lives were lost due to this incident. Investigators discovered that the terrorists were part of a terrorist group called Al-Qaeda.
“many devices like thermostats, cameras and other appliances that are increasingly connected to the internet”
Since this event occurred, the US government and it’s agencies are constantly conducting surveillance to thwart any future attacks on American soil. At the expense of our civil rights and privacy, such surveillance is happening to us right now as you read this article. No smart device is not within reach of the long arms of the law.
The Benefits
In 2013, The director of the National Security Administration today told Congress that more than 50 potential terrorist attacks have been thwarted by two controversial programs tracking more than a billion phone calls and vast swaths of Internet data each day. The attacks on would-be targets such as the New York Stock Exchange were prevented by caching telephone metadata and Internet information, including from millions of Americans since Sept. 11, 2001, Gen. Keith Alexander said during a hearing at the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Read the full story here: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/nsa-director-50-potential-terrorist-attacks-thwarted-controversial/story?id=19428148
The thought of your every move being watched and monitored by the government may be alarming and unwanted by many American citizens. We feel that violating our rights to privacy. But what is more valuable, our lives or our privacy? For those who are against being monitored by the government need to understand that this is a small price to pay for the reward of potentially preventing the next big attack on America. I admit that it is scary that our social media activity, phone calls, and emails are being analyzed by government agencies and stored on servers. What do you think?
