Database and Terrorism - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... On the other hand, there are information, especially those related to terrorism as well as in national security itself that are permitted to be shared with the public. This is what this paper will explore.
The right to know or access information from the government, including those that concern national security, is guaranteed by the US Constitution. Judicial jurisprudence in this regard has consistently upheld that the right to acquire information is an essential component of the First Amendment. In this regard, there are indeed information that the public has the right to know and must know. For instance, in the event of terrorism, the public must know how to respond and, hence, must acquire information in regard to the nature of attacks and ways how to mitigate it. According to Wessely and Krasnov (2005), authorities should seek partnership with the public, provide measure facts for them to make independent choices rather than providing information that is believed what they should hear. (p. 218)
Another area wherein access to information is vital concerns the scientific community. There is a growing belief among policymakers that suppressing the transfer of knowledge and technology is vital to the security of the United States. Such belief is not unfounded. Between 1998 and 2000, the US faced three national security crises involving the potential loss of scientific and technical information when China stole advanced military technology from the Department of Energy’s premier national security laboratories. (Esano and Uhir 2003, p. 107) Restricting access to scientific data and technology, on the other hand, could prove detrimental to the growth of the research and development in the United States because such restrictions could diminish the amount of scientific and technical data available in public domain and obstruct scientific inquiry. What must be done is a close collaboration between the security agencies and the scientific ...Download file to see next pagesRead More