Preview

The Pros And Cons Of NSA Spying

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
456 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Pros And Cons Of NSA Spying
Some people believe, when the NSA spies on their own citizens illegally it creates an atmosphere of distrust between the government and its’ citizens; the NSA might believe by doing so, they are saving and preventing certain situations from taking place. Edward Snowden revealed the level of infiltration in his statement about NSA spying. Woodburn stated that "Seven months after the initial Snowden leaks, sixty-three percent of Americans stated that they were dissatisfied with the government's Surveillance of U.S. citizens" (28). U.S citizens disagree at times with their government's choices, and the National Security Agency infiltrating cell phone and computers makes this situation worse. Americans resent the government taking away their right to privacy in order to find terrorists. But, terrorists have found United States citizens, born in the USA, to help them commit terrorist acts and the NSA is wasting time and effort searching into American people while they are allowing real threats happen.
The National Security Agency running such investigations on American citizens is in violation of the Fourth Amendment
…show more content…
The NSA infiltrating the United States citizen's technology such as cell phones and computers is unjustified because there are no filters for the NSA or knowledge of their investigation taking place. For example "In his interview with RT, Binney emphasized that the FBI does not filter email messages but obtains and stores all of a person's e-mails, and when he or she becomes a target, their entire records are extracted and analyzed for the desired information" (NSA Whistleblower). Coming up with filtering processes would allow them to save time and filter out the non-terrorist threats. Many people make mistakes under pressure, knowing the National Security Agency is hunting you down is tons of pressure ask Osama bin

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    To ensure expressive, associational, and privacy rights are strengthened instead of being compromised by new technology is the goal of the Protecting Civil Liberties and protect the core democratic rights when corporate and government practices that rely on new technology that invades these rights. The government regularly tracks all calls of nearly every common American and spy on a large number of Americans’ international calls, text messages, and emails. Whistle blower Eric Snowden, a contractor with NSA, willfully and knowingly exposed the government’s most sensitive surveillance techniques without authorization and the most fundamental rights as individuals. The ACLU has been fighting for over 12 years to end government surveillance’s lack of oversight that allows it to invade the rights and lives of millions of Americans. When the case against mass surveillance reached the Supreme Court several years ago, was dismissed due to lack of sufficient evidence of the secret programs. Leading the way, the ACLU’s struggle to rein in the surveillance superstructure which strikes at the core of our privacy rights, freedom of speech and association will continue. ("ACLU: National…

    • 1583 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The War on Terrorism and Patriot Act are two important acts regarding terrorism. What is the War on Terrorism and Patriot act you may ask? Well the Patriot act was made so that the United States could hold someone in custody if they are connected or could piently be connected to terrorist groups. Now we have the War on Terrorism act. This act was made so that in the case of a terrorist attack they can stop it with military action. Even though they both have their pros they also have cons. Terrorism is horrible and can lead to the death of innocent people but there are ways we can stop it including and not including the patriot act and War on Terrorism.…

    • 339 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Patriot Act Pros And Cons

    • 3614 Words
    • 15 Pages

    "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."- Benjamin Franklin…

    • 3614 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Patriot Act Pros And Cons

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001 saw the largest loss of life of US civilians, in the US, from an outside enemy. As a result of the attacks, President Bush declared a “Global War on Terror.” To prevent another terror attack, Congress felt it must provide additional powers to US law enforcement and intelligence agencies. In 2001, Congress passed the United and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept or Obstruct Terrorism Acts of 2001, or colloquially referred to as the PATRIOT Act. While many will argue the PATRIOT Act is helpful in combating terrorism, critics argue it infringes on the 4th Amendment rights of US citizens.…

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    9/11 Cons

    • 2334 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Congress passed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in 1978 which prohibited electronic surveillance in the United States without proper warrants. The National Security Agency (NSA) wiretapping program contradicts this by allowing the NSA to conduct electronic surveillance without a warrant (“NSA”). Prior to the War on Terror, the government was allowed to secretly wiretap Americans and access their electronics with a judge's order due to FISA. After the attacks of September 11th, Congress allowed wiretapping without a specific judge's orders or even probable cause. Due to the Patriot Act, an act as a result from 9/11, the FBI could demand information from phone companies, internet service providers, banks, and even the U.S. Postal service without any court order as well (“Costs”). The Patriot Act is still to this day one of the most controversial acts in American history. This act is constantly criticized and makes people feel as if their freedom has been violated. People also feel as if it is very unnecessary because the only person that has ever been arrested due to this act was a taxi driver who tried to donate money to al-Qaeda…

    • 2334 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    NSA Pros And Cons

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages

    By filtering things like calls, texts, and emails terrorist attacks can be prevented. During a visit to Berlin President Obama said “At least fifty threats have been avoided because of the information that is gathered.This information has not only avoided attacks in the United States, but in other countries around the world. So lives have been saved.” The information gathered has been successful at least fifty times already. This shows that all the information used by the NSA is…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the Boston Massacre, many of the colonists were upset with the British troops staying in the colonies monitoring the colonists("The Boston Massacre."). This is very similar to the NSA and how they have been monitoring communications between the US and other foreign entities. In both situations, citizens had lost the opportunity of freedom of some sort, as the troops in the American Revolution were stationed and eventually restricted and enforced laws on the people and the NSA could be considered as breaking the fourth amendment in monitoring these communications…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    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.…

    • 1637 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    This started with letters the NSA sent out to only a few private companies asking them for all their data. After most of the companies hiding there clients data and not handing over the information, the adiministatain started secretly approaching Telecom Companies asking them to participate in the NSA’s domestic spying program. Soon after that these companies started sending Internet and Telephone content to the NSA (Office of the Inspector General). Later in the year, a huge proportion of global Internet traffic flows through networks controlled by the United States, simply because eight of 15 global tier 1 telecommunications companies are American -- companies like AT&T, Century Link, XO Communications and, significantly, Verizon and more companies start sharing their telephone and internet Metadata with the…

    • 2151 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    I have a quote from the National Security Agency, “If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.” Resolve: The benefits of domestic surveillance by the NSA outweigh the harms. From Oxford dictionary, I have a definition of privacy: freedom from unauthorized intrusion. The 4th Amendment from the constitution, “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." According to Cornell University Law School, the 4th amendment “prohibits generalized searches, unless extraordinary circumstances place the general public in danger.”…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Patriot Act Errorism

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages

    That is why so many Americans oppose the Patriot Act. In the article “ With or Without the Patriot Act, Here’s How the NSA Can Still Spy on Americans” by Jason M. Breslow tells how the government can still access private information without the Patriot Act. In 2008, congress passed an amendment called FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) amendment. The amendment states that the government has authority to access popular Internet sites and collect communications of users. The amendment is geared towards non-citizens of the U.S., but the program can pick up communications between citizens and non-citizens living the U.S.…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    citizens, and the government would have too much capability to go behind our backs, unnecessarily, and spy on us. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has freely admitted that it has not launched or found any extensive cases through the Patriot Act’s privileges. (Ybarra, n.d.) The question is, though, if they can not find any cases of terrorism, smuggling, or organized crimes what are they doing? The Government is spying on us through every piece of technology that we own. They can find us within the blink of an eye through our cell phones, computers, and bluetooth devices. They can hack into any of our Facebook accounts, emails, internet search browsers. They can view a person through their phone or computer's camera without them even knowing. The government can also turn on your microphones through the same devices and listen to you and what you are doing at any moment. The National Security Agency has put its codes into Android's operating systems, hacking into three quarters of the world's smartphones. (Tyler Durden, July 9th,…

    • 3008 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    "Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that since shortly after the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001 the National Security Agency, whose mission is to monitor the communications of foreigners outside our borders, has been focusing its futuristic spy technology on Americans." The spying that should shock everyone all over the US. Now people cannot even talk on the phone or talk online without some government official spying all over the place. The first amendment is only a tool; if no people use it then the government does not have to follow it. The government wants to protect people by listening to everyone trying to catch terrorists, but it should not be at the cost of freedom. "The electronic eavesdropping was conducted under orders from the president…" The president is a major source to this dilemma. He is taking away the rights of people who are not there to stop him. "The president himself even summoned Times officials to the White House to persuade them not to go ahead with the…

    • 1386 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Government Spying

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Think about back in elementary school when you had pen pals from other countries. How would you feel if the government was able to intrude on your personal life just because you made contact abroad? For us in America, a government spying on its citizens sounds pretty crazy right? In 2006 president Bush did just that by enabling a “Government Phone Tap”. President Bush thought in order to preserve citizen’s freedoms that is was justified to tap into people’s phones and emails. The only people that were supposed to be the recipients of phone tapings where those who were making calls abroad, particularly to suspected al-Qaida connections. Not only is this a complete violation of peoples constitutional rights and privacy, but Bush also neglected the need for a warrant in this instance. To this day many immigrants from other countries come to America seeking asylum from oppressive governments. America is supposed to be a safe haven where people’s rights and privacy are protected under the constitution. Acts of government espionage upon its own citizens like this are completely unacceptable. I believe that the only way from a government…

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays