Documentary Citizenfour Thesis Statement

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The documentary “Citizenfour” aims to raise public awareness about the state surveillance in the name of so-called maintenance of national security. It consists of related news and a series of interviews with Edward Snowden, revealing details about PRISM. What it mostly shows is facts rather than one’s opinion. Notice that the media depiction hugely influences the way people view the issue. The less opinion and emotional description are used, the more room for the audience to think.

The controversial issue raised is whether to sacrifice the individual privacy in return for national security. The ones usually support the idea with the reason of how effective it is in safety keeping. According to a survey conducted by Horne in 1998 (as cited in Isnard 2001, p.3-4), there is an interrelated link between the decreasing crime rate and the presence of CCTVs. The population is socialized to behave well according to laws under conspicuous surveillance. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of secret monitoring is doubted due to the lack of transparency. There is no reliable …show more content…

According to Richards (2013), it is illegitimate and pernicious to establish an underground and comprehensive surveillance in the society. First, individual privacy, which should be granted and well protected by the law, is now violated. Under PRISM, personal details, including thoughts, movements, communication, transaction and health record, is being systemically and consistently collected without a permit from the owners. The right to hold these details is shifted from the individuals to the state. The state then can make use of the information for certain political purposes like filtering criminal/ terrorist-related suspects out of the government or even country. Surveillance itself is disrespectful and offensive although it may contribute to the national