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Terrorism is a factor that threatens different countries in the world and has been met with different responses. The United States is one of the biggest targets for many terrorist groups. In history, the United States has suffered both Domestic and International Terrorist attacks. One of the biggest attacks in the American history was the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. When it comes to such attacks, information is always considered a powerful tool that can either make the attacks successful or even prevent such attacks. When it comes to information, the Media proves to be an important contributor. One of the primary roles of the Media is to ensure that the government is kept in check by reporting both the good and the bad to all citizens. However, in some cases, the Media has been known to participate in the concealing of information at the request of the government officials. This will look at the different roles of the Media concerning the domestic surveillance of people by the National Security Agency (NSA).[“Write my essay for me?” Get help here.]
The fact that the United States government was monitoring people’s communication through different channels such as Emails, Text messages, and phone calls. This move was made with the aim of ensuring another instance such as the attack on the World Trade Organization building is never repeated. This surveillance has been run through the administrations of two different presidents. These refer to Former President George Bush and the current American president, Barrack Obama. Many people have found this surveillance to be a violation of their rights. In fact, such an act is considered illegal and unethical according to the American Constitution. However, the practice has continued and this is due to the conflict of interests in the different wings of the government. The Judiciary, Executive, and Congress have had different opinions and that has made the surveillance a controversial issue for a very long time.
The immediate impact upon the publishing of this information was outcry among people in different parts of the United States. From a personal perspective, it does not feel right for the government to monitor one’s communication. People always need their privacy and especially when sensitive matters are concerned. This surveillance could mean that people have all their secrets known and stored by the government agency. The short-term effect was that the government did not value the rights of the citizens. It is also strange that the government can have such a program running and still fail to use such details to prevent other social evils such as home invasions and even murder. The drug trade is also a factor that has affected different people and such a program could easily help them government find ways of arresting the major drug dealers and even the established drug routes. While considering the long-term impact of the published information on the NSA spying program, the government suffered a huge a lack of trust. Even now, people have little or no trust in the government and different agencies.
On the other hand, I cannot help but be afraid of the revelation of this program as it also meant that the American enemies also became aware of this surveillance. This could easily provide them with insight on the ideal channels to use while looking to carry out attacks. In this case, I think that the only victims would be the American citizens. The government had established chains of communication that was not monitored under the program. The American enemies, on the other hand would just easily find ways of communicating without being monitored. Despite these negative outcomes, it is a good thing that America has not seen another attack of deadly magnitude as the September 11, 2001. [Click Essay Writer to order your essay]
The fact that the former American president George Bush has asked the New York Times not to publish the information on the surveillance program shows a government that does not intend to practice transparency with its citizens. In addition, this program meant a violation of people’s right to privacy. Should the media have chosen to conceal this information, people would have had their rights violated for a longer time. It was a good thing that the New York Times ignored the warnings by the president and his government and published the information. In fact, it was a good thing that the information was made public since the program is still ongoing. For instance, one of the whistleblowers claimed that he could not share information with the journalists since one of them had brought an iPhone with him. Since iPhones have one of the latest technological trends, it could be true to state that the program is still ongoing and the private companies are now becoming parts of it. In addition, he would also ensure that the webcam of every laptops he used was covered to prevent the recording of passwords. Telecommunication companies such as Verizon would turn over communication data of all clients to the NSA.
This shows that people could not have any private conversation while using the Telecommunication companies. In addition, the programs required that all these programs be archived to ensure it has records for future references. I think that cellphones have become an important tool in people’s lives and the fact that people cannot enjoy privacy with their use shows the intensity of people’s rights. One of the primary reasons why this program has managed to exist despite the outrage by different people is the manner in which the government explained its purpose. By stating that the program was meant to protect the American citizens and use different government agencies to prove some of the progress made by the program resulted in a reduced outrage (Gillmor, 2014). However, most of the information provided by the president at the time was limited and misleading. I find it very offensive that the manner in which the NSA collects information is not in any way intended to find bad people but the United States citizens and others all over the world. [Need an essay writing service? Find help here.]
Some of the dangers of having companies such as Apple and Google collect data on people for the program include violation of rights. Even though people rely on these companies for their social lives, some level of privacy has to be guaranteed (CNN, 2013). Given the fact that the private sector is profit driven, some of the information saved could easily be used to increase their profits. For instance, when people use the internet, the cookies usually enable different companies to access their data and market whatever services of products are involved. This becomes dangerous since the ease with which such marketing companies can access this information can also be enjoyed by people looking to commit crimes.
There have been many arguments on the position of this program and this is because people have different opinions. The people supporting it argue that it ensures all people are protected. In addition, they also claim that it would be impossible for the program orgovernment agency to know the right data to collect and the ones to avoid (Howerton, 2013). In addition, it is safer for the program to monitor all persons and then filter the information and find terror related data. The people opposing this program, on the other hand, have insisted that people have the right to privacy and the manner in which information is collected can easily leave them vulnerable to other crimes such as identity theft. I feel that while this program might have positive results, it still becomes a violation of people’s right since it was known based on an NSA staff leaking the information to the Press. Should the government have come out clear than it was running a program aimed at boosting national security then many people could have supported the program.
The increased technological advancements have meant that people are now easily monitored. Personally, I enjoy the use of electronic gadgets such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets among many others. The internet is also a feature that has become more a requirement than luxury in life. I find it quite unfair that whatever information in these gadgets is recorded by the NSA and could be retrieved in the future. The media has played a crucial role in ensuring that the public is made aware whenever the government goes against the constitution. I still feel that there is more to be done by the media especially while considering this Spy Program. It should go ahead and monitor the government actions and inform people on whatever changes are made. The private sector also needs to be monitored since they could easily use the citizen data for different uses while considering their profit gains. I also find the fact that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) unfair sought the NSA employee behind the leakage on the existence of this program and all persons involved. Therefore, the Media and Government are important to the American society and they should all play their roles. The media should never fail to provide people with information regarding sensitive information such as surveillance on domestic citizens.
References
CNN. (2013, October 16). Your life, under constant surveillance. Retrieved September 5, 2016, from CNN:
Gillmor, D. (2014, April 18). As we sweat government surveillance, companies like Google collect our data. Retrieved September 5, 2016, from The Guardian
Howerton, J. (2013, June 10). Here Is the Pro-NSA Surveillance Argument. Retrieved September 5, 2016, from The Blaze
