Meet Jack Benjamin. He lives at 246 Maple Road, Springfield. He is a 24 year old, single white male who recently graduated from the University of Washington and is currently working as a Costco manager. He goes to Starbucks at least three times a week, always ordering a tall non-fat mocha. His top locations within the past year are QFC, Starbucks, Costco, and a private home registered under the name of Mary Smith. He left her house at 3:54 am on 3/28/13… is she a lover? But what about the other woman that frequently visits his private home, Lila Walker? This information only touches the surface of what the government has access to (ACLU).
Every single day, people’s privacy is invaded. People unknowingly give up part of their privacy in order …show more content…
The Patriot Act was created to diminish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world by enhancing law enforcement investigatory tools. This act helps law officials easily obtain subpoenas for access to information records. The government is wrongly suspecting everyone of being involved in terrorist activity. However, this act contradicts the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution, which states that everyone has a right to secure their own property against unreasonable searches and seizures, defined by a lack of probable cause and warrant. The Patriot Act allows officials to bypass warrants when obtaining information, violating every citizen’s constitutional right to privacy. Since the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, the Patriot Act: Section 215 was updated in hopes of decreasing terrorism by strengthening domestic security and expanding the powers of the bureaucratic agencies. This act give the government too much power and threatens civil liberties of its people. Section 215 allows agencies to conduct surveillance by intercepting, sharing, and using electronic communications for criminal investigations without consent (Patriot Act). These procedures are set forth in hopes of intercepting on foreign powers and communications related to terrorist activity. This act violates the rights set forth in Constitution. Although the U.S. Constitution contains …show more content…
in hopes of discovering or decoding terrorist threats. Not only is this program illegal under the 4th Amendment, but it has “not identified a single instance involving a threat to the United States in which the program made a concrete difference in the outcome of a counterterrorism investigation” (Parvini). By cutting funding to this program, Americans gain part of their privacy in return and the money can then be used to fund programs that are actually successful in protecting the country. Creating policy that states that law enforcements agencies cannot store data about innocent people for any lengthy period, unless that information has be flagged or considered harmful to others, will allow Americans to retain their privacy. National Security is important to a thriving country, like the United States, and should not be removed as a whole, but instead, by removing the unconstitutional programs and redirecting national security, the government will better maintain a balance between civil liberties and overall security of the country. Changing the way the government handles surveillance issues allows for more constitutional policies to be set in place and ensure the dignity and value of each