How Far Do People Abuse Their Power

Installing more surveillance cameras in public areas might make people feel slightly safer, but this would only be an illusion of safety. History has shown repeatedly that broad government surveillance powers inevitably get abused. Such advanced technology that is now available could conceivably give the government increased power over citizens, power that could be used not just to monitor, but in some cases, to discriminate. (Give examples of how govt. abuse their power) A 2012 Pew Research survey found that 32 percent of people believed that the government’s anti-terrorism policies have gone too far in restricting the average person’s civil liberties. Later in a 2012 poll, the Pew found that 54 percent think it is not necessary to give up civil
liberties in order to control terrorism.

Not all "invasions" of personal privacy are necessarily insidious.
For instance, medical records are the "gateway" to significant health care in the country remains in hospital emergency rooms. If medical staff cannot readily access medical records, the delivery of life-saving services will be impaired. (-------) [find link & also link to govt.] People worry obsessively about the possibility that their internet searches can be tracked, without considering the privacy benefits that accrue to users because of the underlying ability in the first instance to acquire sensitive material without facing another human, without asking permission, and without being judged by the people around them. Countless teenagers, adults, now acquire their medical information, as well as pornography, online because they would rather be tracked online by commercial vendors than face parents and other people who might be concerned. “For instance, a person who deeply resents being tracked online for commercial purposes might quite reasonably weigh the privacy risks of seeking medical information on the web differently from a pregnant teenager whose primary privacy concern is shielding her situation from her parents.” (Douglas, Government is
good) It will never be possible for the government to leave the citizens alone, absent suspicion of wrongdoing because innocent or not, every single citizen has to be accounted for their safety under the law. However, when the motivation for intruding the citizens’ privacy is not pure, for instance, keeping the images of naked scans of the public, it is an undesirable form of government intervention. On the other hand, when the invasion of privacy is being used in search of terrorism acts that threaten the country, it is considered as desirable as there is a good intention in sacrificing the trust of the people for the protection for them. The purpose of the government is to protect the individual rights of its citizens. Since rights can be assaulted both within a country and outside of it, the government must deal with either threat. Surveillance is installed to ensure the safety of the citizens, and they should not be manipulated for the unbalanced power for the citizens or the government.