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The Culper Spy Ring The Culper Spy Rings was a spy network started by George Washington to get information about the British, during the Revolutionary War. The Patriots (colonists) were fighting against the British, in this war. The Patriots hoped to gain freedom from Britain, liberty, and equality by winning the war. Since the Patriots forces were only the colonists, they didn’t have a lot of weapons or people on their side, and the people they did have were not well trained to fight.
John F. Kennedy Secrecy, when used in the context of the Constitution, is an important safeguard for our nation’s interests. It protects America from the stealing of national security information by foreign enemies bent on the destruction of our form of government. It protects the lives of our service men and women who serve on the front lines of war. It protects the lives of intelligence assets who have chosen to assist our country in the defense of democracy. But, secrecy is a powerful weapon and must be under the appropriate controls.
The U.S follows a different school of surveillance. Despite the fundamental right to be held “innocent until proven guilty”, it monitors everyone until proven innocent. The status quo could of course damage America’s long known liberties granted by the Constitution. Recent revelations by whistleblower Edward Snowden, have confirmed that the government is more likely to cross some constitutional lines in the name of national security. “The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) regulates the government’s acquisition of any electronic surveillance within the country for foreign intelligence use.
Some Americans believe that the Patriot Act is a violation of privacy, but the government takes crucial steps to ensure the privacy of all law-abiding Americans. Despite contrary beliefs, the
Since September 11th, fear connected with national security threats has shifted to fear of the federal government. The U.S.A. Patriot Act certainly caused much anxiety amongst society. Signed by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001, this act increased law enforcement’s surveillance and investigative powers, “The purpose of the USA PATRIOT Act is to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and other purposes.” Clearly, federal agents have abused their power, as personal information, telephone calls, and Internet searches were and are being recorded and saved. A recent news article, posted in The Guardian, fully elucidates the intrusive government spying of American citizens, “the watchlist tracks ‘known’ and ‘suspected’ terrorists and includes both foreigners and Americans.
NSA hides the fact that they are monitoring on US citizens without the warrant as they find some connection between the person monitored and some illegal activity to justify their monitoring. At first, after the 9/11, President George W. Bush started a program of mass monitoring of US communication. He had started it without FISA Court’s knowledge and when the population find out about this Congress had to create and enact the FISA Amendment Act of 2008 and inside was the crucial Section 702 that, by law, validates mass monitoring over the last 7 years. These communication monitoring systems rely on these two statutes: FISA Amendment Act of 2008 (Section 702) and Patriot Act (Section 215).
In 2008, President Bush signed into law The FISA Amendment Act, an act which allowed the government to monitor Americans’ electronic devices. Bush claimed that this Act could help save lives, as mentioned before, but what he did not mention is that this allows the government to conduct surveillance without probable cause. (“How the NSA’s Surveillance Procedures Threaten Americans’ Privacy.”) When people heard about this, they became concerned, and many began to question if the NSA would abuse this power.
Many Americans have no problem questioning their government and it laws everyday but what would you think if you knew that the government can see everything you do? In the short story by Mike Kubic, he states that many Americans are questioning the Patriot Act and what it is used for. Most people want their privacy and the Act can be invasive at times but only if the government suspects suspicious behavior. In the short article, “The PATRIOT Act: Protection over Privacy”, by Mike Kubic correctly argues why the PATRIOT Act should not be repealed by explaining everything the FBI has to go through to get the information, what information the government actually can access, and how many citizens feel about the Act.
You shouldn’t have to be watched if you aren’t deemed a threat to yourself or society. In my opinion humans are naturally more private creatures that don’t like sharing everything about themselves. The individual right of privacy allows humans to hide somethings about themselves, if it doesn’t seem harmful. However, surveillance is used in public order to observe those that could be plotting against the government, or an attack in the United States. Surveillance has been used to catch and stop many dangerous people who show a threat to the safety of the United States.
About the Author: My name is Eva Mozes Kor, and I am from Port, Romania. I am 11 years old, and was liberated from the Nazi Concentration camp, Auschwitz, a little over six months ago. The first night that Eva Mozes Kor and her twin Miriam arrived at the Auschwitz death camp as 10-year-olds in 1944, she remembers seeing the corpses of three naked children on the floor of a latrine.
While there are still debates on the exact scope of government surveillance, the fact that there have been steps taken to limit its excesses shows that the United States values individual rights. As technology advances and security threats evolve, it will be important for policymakers to continue to evaluate the role of surveillance in national security and ensure that privacy protections are not sacrificed in the name of
Surveillance is becoming increasingly integrated into human lives. Seemingly inconsequential minutiae like how long one spends in line at a grocery store or how many times a headline is clicked on a social media site are collected automatically by both public and private institutions. Whatever we do and wherever we go, there is likely some trace of it. This has led to great debates about the right to privacy, how much surveillance is too much, and under what circumstances surveillance is justifiable. Film and Television play important roles in these debates and in the way in which the public conceptualizes the utility and threat of surveillance more generally.
When working in the intelligence field, I think that an intelligence professional should have respect for their allies. Prying into another countries for secrets is like someone trying to pry into your personal and private life. If you do not want to be pried
Kaitlyn Fahy Mrs. Shjarback English 4A 21 February 2023 Living Through Fear The afterlife, often associated with ghosts and spirits of the dead, evokes fear in many people. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the ghost of King Hamlet appears to warn his son, Prince Hamlet, of his uncle Claudius' evil doings. King Hamlet creates both fear and rage in his son sending him to spiral out of control throughout the play. Through the years, many film adaptations of the play have been created in which each version interprets the play in different ways.
CITIZENFOUR ESSAY I believe everyone needs to have privacy, and privacy is a condition that on my opinion, should not be violated. Because it is the right to keeps people’s matters and relationships secret. The NSA, CIA and GCHQ are logging into people’s lives according to Edward Snowden in the movie ‘’Citizenfour’’. I don’t think what they are doing is okay, because I consider it is an invasion on private life.
