Balancing civil liberties and national security is a formidable task. Fully examining both notions reveals why that may be
Brief
The debate regarding online privacy really began in 2013, when former CIA agent Edward Snowden revealed the snooping activities of the NSA, America’s intelligence agency. It has concerned privacy advocates, lawyers, human rights experts, and even many Silicon Valley technologists, who have opposed the US government on this issue ever since. Similarly, many across the world were shocked and appalled at the vast intrusiveness of the NSA’s activities. But the spying programs cannot be completely dismissed straight away; it has a potential importance in tracking down terrorists and criminals in an increasingly dangerous world. Even so, some are sceptical of this, and so do not believe that the infringements on civil liberties are worth it. Thus, the intense debate continues today, and the complexities of both sides of the argument do not make finding a reasonable solution any easier.
The revelations in 2013 of the NSA’s mass electronic surveillance programs gave birth to today’s online privacy debate
How mass electronic surveillance in America came into being
The true effectiveness of mass surveillance is hard to determine without evidence
Are you safer with snoopers?
How the digital age has changed the meaning of privacy
Mass surveillance can threaten intellectual innovation and creativity online
|Beware the Hackers, Not the Bureaucrats
Protecting data from malicious actors is difficult, even for the government
Should privacy prevail, or does national security trump all?
