Deserve Neither Liberty Or Safety

Imagine someone in a dark, frigid space of isolation. They know nothing about the world or the wonders it contains, but they look around and see boxes. Millions and millions of boxes all locked tight with the chains of “security” and “safety.” They know that inside those boxes lie the precious secrets of free knowledge, yet they are denied. They look up and see the keys to these boxes hanging, waiting to be used. However, they are hundreds of feet up, out of their reach. This is where all of the information of the internet will go if we continue to allow the government to monitor internet content. The government cannot have any control over what people see and put on the internet.

Benjamin Franklin once said: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." This quote means that giving up your freedoms for “safety” means that you have neither. You can never be safe, if you're not free. The fourth amendment of the Bill of Rights not only protects our rights to against unreasonable searches, but our rights to privacy. The government cannot sift through the internet content of American citizens. This includes search histories, frequently visited websites, social media, and even what we watch. All of that is private property and private business.

Some might say that
the government needs to be able to monitor everything that goes on the internet because they might find something illegal, or offending to others.
But what does the constitution have to say about this? The fourth amendment of the Bill of Rights states, “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.” No one has any right to go through someone else's property unless they are presented with a search
warrant.

Why should the government be able to go through all of our personal property without our consent? What gives them the right to do so? This country was built on a foundation of a basic freedom from a controlling and oppressive government. The Constitution was written to protect us from this very situation. The government wants control over the best form of communication and and spreading of information in the world. What will become of this nation if we let that happen? Where will we be in a hundred years? How can we grow, when we continue to be hindered by the government in the path of spreading knowledge? I am not prepared to give up my personal freedoms and rights for “safety.” Any government that says a lack of freedom is required for national safety, is not being truthful. How can we protect ourselves, when we are not free? We will continue to protect our rights and our freedoms, no matter what the cost. Our country was built on this principle, and so will the internet of the future.