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Three Part Proposal
N.S.A.: Nothing’s Secrete Anymore
Look at it this way: this administration is taking unprecedented steps to make sure that the government’s secrets remain private while simultaneously invading the privacy of its citizens…. Many innocents must be violated so that a few guilty people can be stopped. It’s a digital stop-and-frisk….
– Charles M. Blow, New York Times, June 7, 2013 It is without question that the heavens are watching us, in the obscured reality of simple humans we are only but germs under the eyes of the great intelligence from the viewing eye of the gods that rule the macrocosms. To this I say: Gods that rule the nebulas and ICIS1000 galaxies, have mercy on our
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We have “improved” into this technological dependent world that connects us with everyone around us and where anything around us could become evidence enough to become a suspect to the National Security Agency, also known as the NSA. The NSA is a corporation initially set up to catch terrorists and keep America safe. Not really recognized until the 9/11 incident, where ”President Bush Sign[ed] (an) Order Beginning NSA's Domestic Spying Program” (“NSA Spying on Americans”Timeline).
Background
The origins of the National Security Agency can be traced back to April 28, 1917, three weeks after the U.S. Congress declared war on Germany in World War I. The MI-8 (Black Chambers) were moved to New York City on May 20, 1919, where it continued intelligence activities as the Code Compilation Company under the guidance of Yardley. Its purpose was to crack the communications codes of foreign governments. Supported by the State Department and the War Department, the chamber persuaded Western Union, the largest U.S. telegram company, to allow government officials to monitor private communications passing through the company’s wires. Other so called Black Chambers were also found in Europe. They were established by the French and British governments to read the letters of targeted individual. Following the resignation of President Richard Nixon, there were several investigations of suspected misuse of FBI, CIA
The NSA performed an unlawful invasion of privacy by using web encryption. Technologist, Christopher Soghoian, states that the NSA used supercomputers to gain access to encryption that provides online privacy and security. “The encryption technologies that the NSA has exploited to enable its secret dragnet surveillance are the same technologies that protect our most sensitive information, including medical records, financial transactions and commercial secrets” (qtd. in Winter). Christopher’s explanation of the encryption technologies describes how anyone could be affected by this surveillance. This is considered unlawful because the NSA hacked technologies that protect our private information. This affects the security of the nation knowing that it is possible for someone to gain access to information that people have once though were private to them. This is not the first time that the NSA has tried to gain access to private information. In fact, “For the past decade, NSA has led an aggressive multipronged effort to break widely used internet encryption technologies”
Coben states that parents should put spyware on their kids computers, but shouldn’t be nosey and be completely responsible look for anything hazardous. However I disagree and believe teenagers should be trusted with online responsibilities. One reason for this is a third party (the vendor) makes a record of what you do ,but the author did not make note this or did not even know which in my opinion is worst than a faceless bureaucrat because that third is likely to release it to other parties such as google or other big corporations.
The United States has increased its surveillance through programs by the National Security Agency that collect and examine data on Internet and communication by Americans. Innocent civilians are tracked in search of international terrorists hence sparked the debate on civil liberties over national security. However, according to Thomas Friedman, there was the need to shift from ‘war on terrorists’ to ‘war on terrorism’
The NSA has been secretly ordered to eavesdrop by the Bush administration after the 9/11 terrorist attack. The base of where the NSA has been operating their wiretapping agenda is in Bluff Dale, Utah the building sprawls 1,500,000 square feet and possess the capacity to hold as much as five zeta bytes of data it has cost almost $2,000,000,000. The act of spying over the USA citizens even though they are suspicious is a threat to the people’s privacy and the privacy of other countries’ members are being infringed on by the NSA by the act of wiretapping. The action of wiretapping violates laws for privacy, like the Bill of Right’s Amendment Four which says “Every subject has a right to be secure from all unreasonable searches, and
The integrity of one’s communications and privacy of online activities is the largest casualty of the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance over digital lives. Years since September 11, 2009, the NSA’s mass surveillance has greatly expanded due to the heightened concern that new technology can be used by terrorists to plan and execute a terrorist attack. In today’s age of technology, there are easier ways of accessing information and communication as well as new ways of hacking and gathering personal information. The new surveillance programs and regulations are enabled by the Patriot Act and post 9/11 paranoia, but it has been over fourteen years since the incident. After whistleblower, Edward Snowden, it was revealed that the government’s mass surveillance went beyond what many considered acceptable. It can be predicted that unless the U.S Government reins in NSA mass surveillance, the
Ever since the American public was made aware of the United States government’s surveillance policies, it has been a hotly debated issue across the nation. In 2013, it was revealed that the NSA had, for some time, been collecting data on American citizens, in terms of everything from their Internet history to their phone records. When the story broke, it was a huge talking point, not only across the country, but also throughout the world. The man who introduced Americans to this idea was Edward Snowden.
As a government organization, the National Security Agency had access to the most advance technology at the
Keeping the United States of America safe from foreign threats is far from an easy task. However, preventing domestic threats is a much more complicated and delicate one. Government organizations such as the National Security Agency [NSA] are known to have invaded our privacy through our connection to technology. The NSA has publicly admitted to the surveillance. Due to media coverage, the NSA is often viewed as the main agency that bulk collects data. Emails, phone calls, and even our text messages have been surveilled under an NSA program known as “PRISM” (“Domestic Surveillance Techniques”). Everyday government organizations invade our privacy for the sake of national security in an attempt to defend us from domestic threats, but it seems they often take surveillance a step too far. United States citizens should understand legality of these actions, as well as the purpose this data collection serves.
How has the U.S. surveillance changed in the past 10 years? Surveillance is defined as a “close kept watch over someone or something.” The use of surveillance has always been there since the days of following someone from their home to work and back, but surveillance and technology have been combined together now. Spying and policing agencies no longer have the need to use of following anyone or listening to their conversations through walls, watching them from distance, and even going through a suspect’s garbage to gather information. The capabilities of government spying are very wide such as computer hacking skills, domestic drone surveillance, and data gathering through cell phone companies. American companies such as Skype, Facebook, Google and many mobile carriers companies reportedly have been turning over user information to government. The important question here is whether spying on the citizens of the United States necessarily a bad thing or not? Also, what can individuals do to protect their privacy from being invaded by their own government? The answer to the question is that our right to our privacy does not exist anymore because everyone is under surveillance and the technology is moving up very fast in this subject and it seems that it is no longer about stopping terrorists, but it is only an excuse to build a surveillance empire.
He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good – he’s probably employed by the NSA! In the United States of America, the NSA has taken the place of Santa Claus in watching over us, but the biggest difference is instead of giving gifts they take our privacy. Many Americans expressed outrage at the shocking revelations of Edward Snowden, but there was another group that was perhaps more vocal than the millions of Americans: the tech sector. It seems odd that the tech sector, which makes a large profit in selling the privacy of its customers, was outraged to discover that the government was abusing their privacy for security. However, this is exactly the case. In light of such reactions to the NSA by private companies, it is important to understand the notion of privacy these companies hold, how this differs from individuals, and what possible effects the NSA has on corporations and the American people.
The NSA (National Security Agency) was established by order of President Truman. The decision followed the development in breaking German and Japanese codes during WWII that contributed to allied victories and successful missions. The NSA was a means of continuing code-breaking work of the post-war era (The NSA 2016). Henceforth, the agency’s focus has shifted from individual suspicion to a large systematic practice of collecting mass data. Pressure to reduce fear of attacks has led the federal government to increase surveillance to combat terrorism. In the last decade, it has become increasingly normal for civil liberties to be eroded and government agencies to spy on citizens to collect and store their personal information.
America today rivals George Orwell’s 1984 society through the National Security Agency’s global surveillance programs such as Prism, XKeyscore, and Dishfire. Surveillance programs, led by the NSA, are all used to clandestinely collect electronic data from all internet and phone users throughout the world. These programs came about after the Patriot Act of 2001. This act was put in place to help protect the American people from terrorist groups after the atrocities seen on 9/11. Originally drafted to protect the people, the Patriot Act was soon taken advantage of by the NSA. These programs should be heavily restricted because they disregard personal privacy, do not properly protect the information they are taking, and, lastly, are unconstitutional.
Edward Snowden was formerly part of the National Security Agency (NSA). Snowden leaked documents that detailed how Americans were being observed, including the PRISM program. The United States has filed multiple charges against Snowden and he has since found asylum in Russia. Four Reasons why Snowden’s actions should be considered ethical are: 1. Snowden was trying to protect the rights of the American people and make sure everyone is being treated equally.
Just weeks after 9/11, the executive branch of the government began a massive expansion of domestic surveillance with very little debate or transparency (Lichtblau, 2008). This apparatus was left to grown in secret, almost completely unchecked by the other 2 branches of government for the last 15 years. In that time, the National Security Administration (NSA) grew from tapping a few phones, to effectively spying on an entire planet by infiltrating the infrastructure of worldwide communications networks. The facts that have come to light about the extensive domestic surveillance and storage capabilities of our Information and Data Systems (IDS) raise very important fundamental questions of the ability of the governed and the constitution
" Nowadays, it can be perceived by society that the government is in utter control of our daily actions; however, there is a boundary they cannot traverse. Since the internet is ordinarily part of our everyday lives, many citizens of the United States believe the branches of government should be regulated on their extent of viewing internet content. It would be unethical if the government invaded privacy by monitoring our personal messages, facing prosecution based on information gathered without a warrant but, it would be essential if the government monitored folks who already have a criminal or terrorist record trailed behind them.