What is more important, Personal Privacy or National Security? Free Essay Example

What is more important, Personal Privacy or National Security? There has been a significant change in privacy laws over the past decade since the September 11, 2011. If security versus privacy trade-off is biased in favor of security, particularly in times of public insecurity, there is reason to fear that we may too easily sacrifice rights and freedoms such as privacy. (Chandler, 2011) We are entitled to our personal privacy and it should not be invaded for purposes of national security.

The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the changes in privacy laws which have affected our personal freedoms and determine whether national security is more important than personal privacy.

The hypothesis for this investigation is to prove personal privacy has a greater importance over national security. The government’s efforts to help protect us as U. S. citizens aren’t fair. The illegal spying, the indefinite detention without reason, just to name a few has gone beyond the limits of the law and our most treasured values in the name of national security.

It is important to us all to be able to restore our individual freedoms as U. S. citizens. Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. (Franklin, 1759) This research study will be limited to the new laws, government programs and proposals. The research process will be collected from several online resources available from Ashford University. Books, journals, and articles are of the other resources on national security and personal privacy that will be used.

In a New Yorker article, Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell discusses a proposed plan to monitor all internet communications for security purposes: “In order for cyberspace to be policed, internet activity will have to be closely monitored. Ed Giorgio, who is working with McConnell on the plan, said that would mean giving the government the authority to examine the content of any e-mail, file transfer or Web search. ” (Wright, 2008) Our privacy is far more important over national security.

We are entitled to live and do as we will, as long as we are not breaking the law. It is sad to say that simple household items on your shopping list can cause alarm and give cause for the government to invade your privacy. As a U. S. citizen I find this to be very disturbing and unethical. National security has a job to do and that is to protect us all from danger from the enemy, not suspect us for betraying our country based on simple products brought to be used around our homes.

References

Chandler, J. (2009). Privacy versus National Security: Clarifying the Trade-off. I., Kerr, V., Steeves, C.,Lucock (Ed.). Lessons from the Identity Trail. (pp.122-137). Retrieved from http://www.idtrail.org

Wright, L. (2008,January 21). A Reporter at Large: The Spymaster: Can Mike McConnell fix America’s intelligence community? [Magazine Article]. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/

Flaherty, D. (1980). Reviews in American History: Privacy and Confidentiality: The Responsibilities of Historians. (pp. 419-429). Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2701392/

Choldin, H. (1988) Demography: Government Statistics: The Conflict between Research and Privacy. (pp.145-154) Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2061484/

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