Kayle Greenberg

Mrs. Wilson
HELA II
23 Wednesday 2015
Privacy vs. Security
All throughout America the privacy and personal lives of citizens have been taken
for granted by the government. Due to the terrorist attacks on 9/11 the government has
been on high alert, searching for possible terrorist threats everywhere. Edward Snowden
opened up Americans eyes to the true actions taken by the government and most are not
happy with what they have learned. Monitoring emails, listening in on personal phone
calls, and surveillance of innocent US citizens is a direct assault on citizens privacy. The
privacy past generations once experienced is no longer an option for the future
generations to come. Although some Americans believe the government monitoring
citizens helps protect the safety of the country, invading the privacy of citizens creates
distrust between the people and the government as well as threatens the peoples 4th
amendment rights.
Privacy is essential to maintain balance and structure within society. The founders
of the United States recognized the need for privacy in the writing of the 4th amendment
which states, The right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and
effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated. These words
were written pre 9/11 and the new digital age however, there relevance is even greater
now. Americans were shocked and scared after the terrorist attacks that took place on
9/11, but 14 years have passed and the rights that were once being looked over need to be

reclaimed. 80% of Americans believe that we should be concerned about the

governments efforts to collect specific information from our online and phone
communication (Johnson). Extreme cases of government surveillance like in George
Orwells, 1984, citizens feel trapped in a country that takes their rights for granted. The
government needs to understand the boundaries of tracking their own. This political
cartoon shows that Big Brother, the government, is always watching its citizens
(Appendix A). Americans shouldnt go online in fear that they are being watched or
tracked.
In this new world of technology it has become ten times easier for not only the
government to track people but potential employers, friends and hackers. Society relies so
heavily on the Internet and cellphones that people often abuse this luxury for illegal acts.
Electronic devices are tools that can be used for good or evil. What matters is who uses
them and for what purpose (Jeffrey). The NSA (National Security Agency) uses a collect
it all policy when they are collecting of citizens personal cellphone and online
activities. The data collected are from normal everyday citizens, not criminals, not
terrorist or foreigners (Johnson). Invading the personal lives of Americans just because
the government can is not an acceptable way of governing. Social media is another tool
the government uses to invade the rights of the people. 70% of Americans are worried
that the government is accessing their social media information, such as Facebook
profiles with out their knowledge (Johnson). The broken trust between the government
and the people will only lead to further problems for future generations. If this cycle
continues, the people of the United States will feel hostile toward the government.

National Security has a direct affect on the lives of the citizens of America. After
the attacks on 9/11, the government started to take the security of the nation more
seriously. 56% of Americans think the NSA getting secret court orders to track calls of
millions of Americans is acceptable (Graham). The fear of another terrorist attack on the
United States has Americans agreeing to let the government due whatever it takes to
remain safe including, tracking phone calls and monitoring emails. The new era of
technology gives the government easy access to monitor possible terrorist threats and
illegal activity. A certain amount of responsible sharing is important to reduce fraud,
combat terrorism and to fight crime (Alexander). If the government is not allowed to
monitor these criminals crime rate would skyrocket and the wellbeing of citizens would
be put at risk.
The security of United States while important does not give the government the
right to invade the privacy of its citizens. The constitution gives citizens the right to
privacy and a personal lives. It was important to the founding fathers to protect the people
from illegal searches done by the government online and inside their homes. While the
nation needs to be protected from possible attacks the government does not need to
violate its own citizens rights in order to do so.

Work Cited
Alexander, Phillip. "The Dangers of Too Much Privacy." San Institute
Leadership Laboratory. 29 May 2007. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
Graham, Miles. "Americans Sharply Split on Privacy Issues." Nation Time.
1 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. <nation.time.com>.
Jeffrey, Terence. "How Much of Your Life Should the Government Track?"
CNS News. 18 Dec. 2013. Web. 23 Feb. 2015. <cnsnews.com>.
Johnson, Theodor. "The Consequences of Letting the Government Invade
Your Privacy." The Root. 20 Nov. 2014. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.
Noble, Jason. "U.S. Debates Security vs. Privacy 12 Years after 9/11." USA
Today. 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 23 Feb. 2015. <usatoday.com>.
Simpson, Walter. "The End of Privacy? Government and Private
"Rein in the Surveillance State." American Civil Liberties Union. 1 Jan.
2014. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
Surveillance Pose a Growing Threat to Americans." The Buffalo News. 10 May 2014.
Web. 24 Feb. 2015.

Appendix A