Security is Worth a Little Privacy

Al Gore recently shared his viewpoint that the NSA surveillance violates the Constitution.  Gore added, “I quite understand the viewpoint that many have expressed that they are fine with it and they just want to be safe but that is not really the American way” (Johnson).  The United States Intelligence Agencies are prohibited by law from spying on US citizens.  Regarding the right to privacy, the word privacy is not mentioned in the US Constitution.  However, the Supreme Court decisions have established the right to privacy as a basic human right protected by virtue of the ninth amendment, the third, the fourth and the fifth amendments of the constitution.  The technical phrase they use is the Penumbras and what that means is the implied powers of the federal government.  These are grey areas where logic and principal falter.  The Supreme Court has passed this decision that there is a basic right to privacy, even though it is not spelled out in the Constitution.  

Developments in information technology have led to government's increasing use of surveillance and data mining.  The question is not whether or not this surveillance should exist.  Everyone knows it must exist in order for our country to remain safe.  The real question is whether or not the government will continue to have a true handle and control over surveillance taking place.  Will the government be able to do the job without risking the protection of individual's privacy?  Will the government be able to do this within the laws that we already have? 

Criminal organization and terrorist groups can use many of the same surveillance technologies that our government uses.  Terrorist groups can plan and communicate assaults.  Terrorists can hack our networks from the other side of the world.  There is a new type of criminal that uses the digital networks to commit crimes.  Cyberattacks can target our defense system and financial institutions.  The government has to be able to keep up with all of this.  The only way to do it is by having the data surveillance programs in place and being used.  We need to be able to stay ahead of those that are trying to destroy us.  The only way to do this is to forfeit some aspects of privacy in order to gain the most protection and safety from our government.  In this way, the government is doing its job.  We have the basic right to privacy, but not at the risk of interfering with our national security.  We all have to stand together to commit to security, and never allow such a horrible terrorist attack again happen in our nation. 

Balkin, Jack M. "The Constitution in the National Surveillance State." Yale Law School Legal Scholarship Repository. Yale Law School, 1 Jan. 2008. Web. 22 June 2013. <http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1224&context=fss_papers&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.com%2Fscholar_url%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcommons.law.yale.edu%2Fcgi%2Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1224%2526context%253Dfss_papers%26sa%3DX%26scisig%3DAAGBfm3Hmmri_yT2tw2YKSy5ZeUBOw-8iw%26oi%3Dscholarr#search=%22http%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcommons.law.yale.edu%2Fcgi%2Fviewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1224%26context%3Dfss_papers%22>

Johnson, Luke. "Al Gore: NSA Surveillance Violates The Constitution." Huff Post Politics. The Huffington Post, 14 June 2013. Web. 22 June 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/14/al-gore-nsa_n_3443646.html>.