Terrorism Surveillance - Essay Example

However, there are concerns arising that are focused on the states intrusion into people’s privacy and have stirred up a major controversy. One can, hence, wonder just how far the government should go with their surveillance and are there any regulatory measures that can see to it that people’s privacy is upheld. The following essay will focus on the threats that the new surveillance technologies have posed to innocent individuals. Also, it will give insight on whether or not these technologies can be regulated, whether or not giving up some liberties for general safety is necessary and if the same measures should be applied locally and internationally.

Lastly it will offer an analysis on the probability of the measurements being used by authoritarian regimes in the future. Electronic surveillance, when employed as a means for law enforcement, national security, domestic relations or industrial espionage has a potential of restricting and, in due course, negating the citizens right to be let alone. The history of the random uses to which the technology has been used on the domestic level, suggests that individuals such as the American citizens, are vastly susceptible to violations on rights to individual privacy.

The United States’ first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, ninth, fourteenth and the eighteenth amendments, to some lengths, forbids arbitrary as well as unlawful invasions to privacy. Shortly after the 9/11 terrorism act, the United States Congress passed some security measures that were well intended but in various ways violate the citizen’s privacy. For example, the PATRIOT Act exceedingly increased the federal governments power to collect and analyze personal information related to the United States’ citizens.

While the supporters of the motion indicate that the wider surveillance bodies are expected to disclose and eliminate terrorism plans, the opponents argue that the extended powers violate