The Question Of Privacy Rights Versus National Security

This argument privacy rights versus national security has long existed for years. It’s becoming pretty hot with a lot of conflicting opinions when Edward Snowden scandal was appeared. Edward Snowden (born 1983) is a former technical staff member of the US National Security Agency (NSA) and former official of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In June 2013, Snowden revealed information about many secret monitoring programs, including US and European phone-wiretapping programs, PRISM (another tracking program) and follow-up program. Information he released could result in imprisonment or execution of women and men who worked for the United States as foreign operatives. Edward Snowden has been very vocal about what he has done, claiming the United States and other nations have clandestinely monitored emails, phone calls, etc. of private American citizens in violation of 4th Amendment. Immediately, the name Edward Snowden was quickly known to the world as the ‘media hero’ and ‘traitor of the United States’. The scandal has pushed the Obama administration as well as US intelligence officials into a series of scandals that have affected America’s image with the people and the international arena. Edward Snowden is currently living under Russian protection but has not backed down from his belief that he has done what is right. People, who call Edward Snowden is “media hero”, don’t like to use surveillance. So they think privacy rights should be priority. In the other side, somebody call him a traitor think national security outweighs privacy. According to me, national security is more important than individual’s privacy, it should be lay on the top because it has a mission to protect the nation state, including its citizens, economy, institutions, and national security occupies a large role in American Government. In this paper, I will to discuss about national security use surveillance to help people to be safe from terrorism, gun control and security citizen’s general welfare.

The first thing is national security help against terrorism. We will never forget the September 11, 2001 became the special day in the US history. All of people of the United States will never forget 2,996 lives was stolen by Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda on the morning of Tuesday. The attach also caused more 6000 injured and damaged an estimated of $60 billion in infrastructure and property, according to CNN . Additional people died of 9/11 – leaving countless bad consequences for health, bringing persistent psychological injuries to people. Statistics from the World Trade Center’s Health Program (WTC) published in the New York Post reported that nearly 10,000 people in New York were diagnosed with cancer, of which the main reason could be by inhaling toxic dust and smoke and respiratory diseases in the months and years following the attacks ( Susan Edelman, NYpost.com)1. Another terrorist group is the self-proclaimed Islamic State. CNN News told that “since declaring its caliphate in June 2014, they have conducted or inspired more than 140 terrorist attacks in 29 countries other than Iraq and Syria, where its carnage has taken a much deadlier toll. Those attacks have killed at least 2,043 people and injured thousands more” (Tim Lister, Ray Sanchez, Mark Bixler, Sean O’Key, Michael Hogenmiller and Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN)2. And a lot of terrorist, who is called “lone wolf terrorist”, appears everywhere. They succeeded in destroying the safest national symbol. The terrorists make everyone feels there is no safe place. It pressures “Fear” on people’s mentality. The question was asked how we can prevent, reduce or against those dangers. I think some loss of privacy and tighter security measures such as casting a wider net via internet surveillance to investigate terrorist suspects should be required. I believe that monitoring is in line with the Patriot Act and for serving the war on terror. That seems to be a pretty good reason. But government just use privacy information only for anti-terrorist. If they use this information for other purposes, it will violate privacy and will be imprisoned.

The second thing that national security more important than privacy right is gun right. From couple of year to now, we faced a series of terrible shooting events. They appeared anywhere, anytime such as : school, church, office, amuse center, etc., Those are the deadliest mass shootings in the United States ’s modern history have occurred since 2015. On Wednesday, February 14, 2018, Nikolaz Cruz, a 19-year-old boy was kicked out of school with unspecified disciplinary reasons, opened fire at a Florida public high school. This shooting killed at least 17 adults and children. Many more people injured. Another deadliest shooting was appeared on November 5, 2017 at First Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Devin Patrick Kelly, the gunman who killed at least 26 people and over 20 others wounded in mass shooting during a church service. In Las Vegas on October 1, 2017 a mass shooting on the outside event was opened and lasted between 10 and 15 minutes from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino by Stephen Paddock. Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old man, killed 58 concertgoers and almost 500 others were injured after spraying gunfire on a crowd of 22,000 people. At Pulse, a gay nightclub, on June 12, 2016 in the city of Orlando, an American-born man started shooting and killed 49 people and wounded at least 53 others. A shooting was opened at a social services central on San Bernadino by Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik. The couple killed 14 people and injuring 22 others on an office party. ( CNN Library)3. A lot of shooting event keeps going to appear anywhere, anytime. They make people nervous in school, work and public activities. I think it’s time to rethinking about the gun right. It should be limited and must be control carefully. To do these actions mean we will lose of privacy right since the Second Amendment allow people keep and bear an arm. In additional we should allow the government use the wider net of surveillance to measure, find criminals and act against them before harm is caused to others. Better surveillance and gun tighter control will help prevent the loss of life.

The third thing that national security outweighs privacy rights because national security has a mission to secure the citizen’s General Welfare. General Welfare, in the popular meaning is the “ common good”, clauses are generally interpreted as granting the state broad power to legislate or regulate for the general welfare, independent of other powers specified in the governing document. I think intelligence and security measures should be applied to prevent or reduce attacks against Americans or the United States.

In conclusion, everybody always need a better life and safe place to live. Therefore, it’s worth reducing privacy when the government use surveillance to help people to be safe from terrorism, gun control and security citizen’s general welfare. National interests should be prioritized over personal rights. It is just my opinion. What do you think?

Reference List

1. Library, C. (2019). September 11 Terror Attacks Fast Facts. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/27/us/september-11-anniversary-fast-facts/index.html. Accessed 17 April 2019.
2. Edelman, S. (2019). Nearly 10K people have gotten cancer from toxic 9/11 dust. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2018/08/11/nearly-10k-people-have-gotten-cancer-from-toxic-9-11-dust/. Accessed 17 April 2019.
3. Library, C. (2019). Deadliest Mass Shootings in Modern US History Fast Facts. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/16/us/20-deadliest-mass-shootings-in-u-s-history-fast-facts/index.html. Accessed 17 April 2019.
4. Lister, T.(2019). ISIS: 143 attacks in 29 countries have killed 2,043. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/17/world/mapping-isis-attacks-around-the-world/index.html. Accessed 17 April 2019.