On May 7, 2015 the Federal Court of Appeals in New York ruled that the National Security Agency's collection of American phone records in bulk is illegal. Specifically, they ruled that the practice did not fall under the scope of the USA Patriot Act, which allows wire tapping of individuals to detect and prevent terrorism. What is the USA Patriot Act? The USA Patriot Act is a 10-letter acronym for uniting and strengthening America by providing appropriate tools required to intercept and obstruct terrorism act of 2001. It was passed by Congress following the terrorist attacks of September 11 and signed into law by George W. Bush in 2001. Later when it was set to expire in 2011 Barack Obama renewed the law for another 4 years. The Patriot Act…
On September 11, 2001, four passenger planes were hijacked by sixteen members of the terrorist organization known as al-Qaeda. Two of the planes were sent to the World Trade Center in New York City, another was sent to the Pentagon in Washington D.C, while the final plane was forcibly brought down in fields outside of suburban Pennsylvania. These hijackings led to the loss of 2,980 lives, and the events of 9/11 would become the largest terrorist attack on United States soil. In the wake of these attacks, Congress quickly passed the USA PATRIOT Act, also known as the “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism” Act. The Patriot Act, as it is more commonly referred to, was created with the goal of providing government agencies the tools to seek out and prosecute any terrorists planning an attack within the country. Unfortunately for the American people, Congress was indifferent to the fact that many provisions of the Patriot Act were a violation of the Constitution. The Patriot Act has granted government establishments the capability of…
The Congressional Oversight Committee exists to oversee the Executive Branch and other federal agencies. The committee largely reviews, monitors, and supervises various programs in the federal government, activities, and the implementation of various policies. Furthermore, the Oversight Committee has many implied powers from the U.S. Constitution and can even overturn decisions from agencies, limit an agency's jurisdiction, and defund or fund a specific agency. All in all, the Oversight Committee exists to regulate power among other branches of government, prevent corruption, eliminate any illegal actions, and ensure the people of the United States are the priority, not the government.…
The National Security Agency has been collecting the phone records of all U.S. citizens—which numbers have called which other numbers, when, and for how long—in an enormous database. The government says this mass collection is OK because the database is “queried”—i.e., searched—only under court supervision. In theory, this two-tiered approach, with judicial scrutiny applied at the query stage rather than the collection stage, is defensible. But does the judiciary—in this case, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court—really examine the database queries?…
The Patriot Act has caused a significant amount of controversy ever since it was passed by President Bush in 2001. Two different arguments have come about and many people feel very strongly about their respective opinions. Although there are many positives to The Patriot Act it should not be legal and is ultimatley unconstitutional. The Patriot Act should not be allowed because it completley violates the innocent Americans privacy.…
The thoughts of those looking into the affairs of the NSA think the government took a great idea, and honestly the only idea with today’s technological warfare, and got greedy with how much information they have collected and need to be watched very carefully. The most important information for any human being is the information we choose to keep private, it can be the most devastating information in the wrong hands and the United States Government is holding that exact information in bulk, with your name on a yellow folder.…
How important is your privacy? Most people would agree having privacy is a huge concern, especially when it involves personal business. In recent breaking news, Edward Snowden, a 30-year-old high school dropout, who worked for the NSA, released private information to America. He announced the NSA is tracking citizen's phone calls and monitoring emails. Most people in the U.S. were very frustrated once the information went viral. Many people believe Edward Snowden should not have released the information he knew. However, if he did not reveal the secrets of the NSA, many citizens in America will still be clueless.…
The government should worry citizens, by hiring people to hack into their lives. The National Security Agency, NSA, is “inside” everything from phones to major websites like Google and Yahoo. The NSA is responsible for code breaking and getting information from phones and the internet. The NSA has headquarters in the United Kingdom as well. They try to focus overseas instead of domestically to prevent any serious crime and to defend the UK’s economic interest. Because the NSA doesn’t trust its own U.S. citizens, violates the fourth amendment, and made programs to “hack” us, the NSA invades the privacy of citizens and should be stopped.…
What exactly is wire tapping? Do you think wiretapping is occurring in your everyday life? Wire tapping is the practice of connecting a listening device to a telephone line to secretly monitor a conversation. This can play a key role in helping law enforcements in the end. As President Obama states, “When I came into this office, I made two commitment that are more important than any commitment I made: number one , to keep American people safe and number two, to uphold the Constitution.”…
Domestic surveillance Have you ever felt like someone was watching you? The reality of the world we live in today is that people are watching us. There is a question standing: is the fact that the government is watching us constitutional or not? Is our privacy being infringed upon through the persistent prying fingers of those with higher authority? Many people have different views on this topic and there are many contributing factors to this issue.…
The government is not spending enough time and resource in surveillance, which is resulting in the threats and decrease of national security. Surveillance is the act of observing, or monitoring a person. Monitoring a person can include the use of cameras, wiretaps, GPS tracking, and internet surveillance. Events such as the Oklahoma City bombing, and the attack on 9/11 lead to a law former President Bush passed. "On October 26th, 2001, Bush signed into law the USA Patriot Act." (Podesta) Government surveillance is an essential part of everyday life because not only does it keep the country under control, but ensures safety for Americans.…
“When it comes to privacy and accountability, people always demand the former for themselves and the latter for everyone else.” By definition privacy is the state or condition of being free from being observed or disturbed by other people. What separates us from individuals in other countries is the rulebook we follow-namely the constitution. Collectively (government and citizens) agree to follow the rules (according to the constitution), but sometimes the rules must be stretched or broken. The government should violate a civil liberty provided by the constitution when it is for the safety of the country.…
Has anyone ever look through your belonging without asking and thought it was moral? Having privacy is a huge problem in our society too many individuals and celebrity.Without Privacy, anyone could invade your life by stealing your identity and personal records. In the first amendment, The bill of rights says that everyone should have their right of privacy no matter what. Privacy is having freedom way from others. "Individuals who live in a civil country or state deserve their right to privacy under any condition even though they are a celebrity because…
Should the U.S. be spying on its friends? All governments, include the U.S. government, spy on their friends and enemies; the indignation of leaders to this news for the benefit of their people. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany arrived on Oct. 25, 2013, to meet with European leaders in Brussels. She had expressed concern over American spying. Germany was angry at the US government for spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel. At the same time, Brazil and Mexico were also concerned that the National Security Agency is over hearing on their leaders. France and Spain summoned the American ambassador to investigate the spying issue in their countries as well. After a few days, Chancellor Merkel of Germany and President Hollande of France called…
Many people assume that they have a right to personal privacy no matter what the circumstance. This is a reasonable assumption; no one wants details of their conversations, movements, and actions publicized after a traumatic event. Often times people want the opportunity to grieve, recover, or processes what has happened to them without having to worry about what they have done or said being put on display for the country to see. On the other side of that, humans are inherently curious creatures and we want to have access to all the information we can possibly get our hands on, especially if the event of interest is as sensational and suspenseful as a car accident or violent crime. It is the job of news organizations to gather information and…