Government Surveillance and Data Mining Operations - Essay Example

The program is backed up by President Bush as a response to the September 11 attacks.

The NSA has acquired access to and analyzed huge volumes of Internet and telephone communications routed internationally and within the United States. With the cooperation of telecommunication networks, they have gained access to call records of most of the citizenry. Though sanctioned by the Bush administration, the constitutionality of these acts is being questioned. Another issue is whether wiretapping and data mining are acceptable ways of investigating terrorist threats. The President addressed the controversy in a radio address from the Roosevelt Room by saying that he has the authority to approve wiretapping and surveillance programs and that such activities are being done to protect the Americans' civil liberties.

He also claimed that it is a necessary means to prevent terrorist attacks from happening. Bush also condemned the actions of press and media outfits who have exposed the supposedly top-secret program. However, many legal analysts find Bush's arguments unconvincing. The Jurist columnist William Banks in his article, "NSA Eavesdropping and the Fourth Amendment" argues that NSA's domestic surveillance program impinges on the people's rights, especially that of the Fourth Amendment, which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures.

His conjecture is that individuals have reasonable expectations of their privacy, so they are therefore entitled to it. Banks believes that warrantless surveillance is not only unconstitutional, but it also lays the groundwork for abuse. James X. Dempsey, the Executive Director for Center for Democracy & Technology, in his piece "Anti-Terrorism Investigations and the Fourth Amendment After September 11: Where and When Can the Government Go to Prevent Terrorist Attacks", provides a middle ground when he argues that while it is necessary that the government be given strong legal authorities to prevent terrorism, such as surveillance and data mining, limits should be imposed and that guidelines should be enacted to protect individual rights.

The potential for abuse is a pressing issue. The executive power largely goes unchecked by the congress and justice system, and a power that goes unchecked poses the risk of misuse and abuse, as is shown by history. The article, "In this data-mining society, privacy advocates shudder" by the Associated Press, contains a brief discussion of privacy rights and how the program can be used for purposes other than tracking terrorists. It also explains how this kind of government surveillance does not really do anything to increase, security, but instead, lull the masses into a "false sense of security.

" I agree, and spending billions of dollars and resources just to put on a show of strength and safety is questionable. Where the program is being undertaken in a clandestine, shadow environment, protected by the government from all legal accountability, there is nothing to stop the system from being used in other ways, such as to monitoring media outfits and government opposition. This is not to say that the government is already using it for malicious causes, but there is reasonable doubt on the possibility that they will not misuse them.

Moreover, the effectiveness of this kind of method is suspect. While I agree that the government plays a crucial role in protecting the citizenry against future attacks, I believe that their recent actions defile the basic rights of a person. There is a fine line separating government accountability and our basic freedoms and when that line is crossed, the foundation by which our society is built upon crumbles. I believe that the government has no right to dig into other people's business unless they have a reason to suspect them.

As Benjamin Franklin said, "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."