Citizen Four Essay

Background- Four men were arrested in April 2011 in connection to series of armed robberies-- to which-- one confessed and gave the FBI his and other’s phone number. It was used it to request orders from judges to obtain “transactional records” for each phone number per the Stored Communications Act. Records like date/time/locations of calls were taken through their connections to cell towers. It all incriminated Timothy Carpenter (Petitioner) of robbery (interstate commerce), who appealed his 4th Amendment rights, arguing the FBI must obtain a warrant on probable cause. District Court and Sixth Circuit both denied Petitioner’s motion to appeal.

Greenwald does an exceptional job of diving into the meat and potatoes of the issue, and gets right at its core with an essential question we need to ask ourselves in our growing digital world: “Why does our privacy matter?” In his TED Talk: Why Privacy Matters Greenwald explains how the Internet, which has been hailed for the liberation it brought is now being used as a zone of mass discriminant surveillance (Greenwald, 2014). It seems as though whenever the topic is brought up most ignorant people immediately assume that if the government is watching, it is okay as long as you don’t have anything to hide. With this train of thought comes the idea that there are clear lines between “good” people and “bad” people in this world, and its essentially okay for a computer to determine whether or not someone is good or bad based on a collection of phone records, Google searches and associates on social media. The group of those saying that there is no harm done in the breaching of ones privacy are those who have accepted that they are in no way shape or form a threat to our government in any case. To me, that is something that is simply unacceptable in a functioning democracy. If people are so willing to give up every aspect of their daily lives to the government, it becomes easier to track the exact schedules and routines of certain individuals and on a grand scale, the impending results can be more than scary. Greenwald explains that there has been many studies held that prove that when humans know they are being watched, their behavior dramatically changes compared to if they think they are alone. After someone realizes they are being observed they quickly start conforming to their surroundings because they’ve become imprisoned in their own minds for fear of

"[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and noWarrants 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."

Whether it is calling someone on your phone or online shopping on the computer, people are more connected than ever to the internet. However, a person might be oblivious to the fact that they are being watched using these technologies. The NSA (National Security Agency) is an intelligence organization for the U.S. to protect information systems and foreign intelligence information. Recently the NSA has been accused of invading personal privacy through web encryption, tracking, and using personal information for their own uses and without permission. The surveillance of the NSA produces unlawful invasion of privacy causing an unsecure nation.

The Fourth Amendment in the Bill of Rights is the foundation for life of citizens in the United States: everyone needs it, and without it, they would crumble and fall subject to government tyranny. In the case of the Fourth Amendment, the framers needed to find a way to protect the people of their country, whether it was for citizens to be secure in their houses, their papers, or their person, the framers had to amend a law that would defend their country and its beliefs against government intrusion. The Fourth Amendment was implemented into the Bill of Rights to ensure citizens received a fair trial, to ensure that their inherent right of privacy was protected, and to ensure the government had less power.

" In the late eighteenth century, after the United States of America achieved their independence from their former ruler, American leaders decided that their country was in need of a new document to rule over it. They took upon themselves the task of drafting the Constitution, which has been the supreme law since its ratification. As part of its Bill of Rights, the Fourth Amendment protects American citizens from ""unreasonable searches and seizures"". While the internet did not exist for a couple more centuries, this right that citizens have expands and changes as society does, therefore internet protection falls under the umbrella of the Fourth Amendment. The government monitoring the internet could be considered illegal under this fourth

Once someone reaches a level of reasonable suspicion, police officers are allowed to stop and frisk the suspects. If they are still thought to be participating in illegal activity it becomes probable cause and then the suspect will be arrested and interrogated. Due to Miranda rights people have the opportunity to speak with an attorney before being questioned and may also have one present while being questioned.

The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution holds grave importance for the citizens of the United States of America. This amendment of the Constitution is exceptionally important due to the fact, that it protects citizens from unreasonable searches or seizures. However, the phrase, “reasonable expectation of privacy” is a different aspect that is pertinent to the evolution of the Fourth Amendment, and Riley v. California. To dissect this phrase, reasonable is the important aspect here, this is where the court must decide what is and what is not reasonable, in relation to the Fourth Amendment. Privacy, on the other hand, seems to be defined inadequately. (Baude & Stern, 2016). Within this, importance comes from the actual warrant requirement

The American people strive to make themselves the best version of a model citizen they can be. Each person in America has an abundance of patriotism that keeps them from slacking from the progress they have made in becoming honest, diligent, innovative people. All Americans work toward those characteristics because they are what makes a person an ideal American citizen. Honesty is one of the key qualities to being a good citizen. When a person is honest they are easy to trust and can be counted on in times of need. An honest person is desired in every community because they are simply good people. An American should also be diligent. In today’s society without trying hard to accomplish what a person desires to do, it is nearly impossible.

Today, I am presented with a case that puts in question the violation of individual’s Fourth Amendment rights. This case also puts in question the rights of the authority placed in our streets, neighborhoods and towns to perform actions directed towards certain citizens in an effort to serve and protect the overall population. There must be a careful analysis in order to interpret the records of the incident that occurred to conclude who holds the most justified position in this case under the applicable laws. The Court of Appeals of the State of New York must also take into careful consideration the circumstances discussed and the ruling given by the District Court assigned to this case, which I

Government surveillance in the past was not a big threat due to the limitations on technology; however, in the current day, it has become an immense power for the government. Taylor, author of a book on Electronic Surveillance supports, "A generation ago, when records were tucked away on paper in manila folders, there was some assurance that such information wouldn 't be spread everywhere. Now, however, our life stories are available at the push of a button" (Taylor 111). With more and more Americans logging into social media cites and using text-messaging devices, the more providers of metadata the government has. In her journal “The Virtuous Spy: Privacy as an Ethical Limit”, Anita L. Allen, an expert on privacy law, writes, “Contemporary technologies of data collection make secret, privacy invading surveillance easy and nearly irresistible. For every technology of confidential personal communication…there are one or more counter-technologies of eavesdropping” (Allen 1). Being in the middle of the Digital Age, we have to be much more careful of the kinds of information we put in our digital devices.

All Americans are entitled to their rights. The Fourth Amendment states that we the people have to deny search and seizures from law enforcement without a warrant. The fourth amendment generally prohibits police from entering a home without a warrant unless the circumstances fit an established exception to the warrant requirement. According to the book The Constitution: Our Written Legacy by Joseph A. Melusky, the Fourth Amendment gives the right of the people to be secure in their person, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures. Although we are entitled to these rights, police sometimes use and abuse their authority. In many cases, the Fourth Amendment has helped prove the innocence of one’s actions.

This gives organizations information that the user may not aware is being recorded and shared. Without knowing it, we are leaving “ electronic fingerprints” with every mouse click, every phone call, is recorded and used for analysis purposes, which tend to be justified through the idea that it is used to help protect civilians from terrorist or other threats. Though surveillance is used to protect society, it can go as far as to even control and monitor society. In countries like China, the government uses surveillance to censor what is available to the public, and therefore allows the leaders of the country to maintain a tighter grip on society.

“Internet, mobility, and multimedia are important technology tools that are used in education industry” (Hameed 372).Although the internet is an important tool in the classroom and out, it does have downsides. Websites have become more commercialized, and this has made searching through websites difficult since not all websites are reliable. In the Journal done by Shihab Hameed he says that statistics show that teenagers use the internet more than adults, they use the internet to play games, listen to music and meet new people. Hameed also mentions that it reduces student activity. Students are able to get solutions to homework and as result

The Internet changed our life enormously, there is no doubt about that. There are many advantages of the Internet that show you the importance of this new medium. What I want