The NSA Knows..What Exactly?

     "The greatest danger to American freedom is a government that ignores the Constitution."  ~Thomas Jefferson

  My  esteemed colleague, Mr. Jordan Call, discussed the National Security Agency's ability to collect information on American citizens in his article "The NSA know when that hotline bling." Mr. Call argues that the NSA is a "necessary evil" that we must accept in the name of security.  He makes a thought-provoking argument, yet, I am inclined to disagree with him.

     Mr. Call opens his argument by stating that "our rights have been trampled for quite some time now," citing The Patriot Act and the fact it allows the government to spy on us.  He also says that he is fine with this intrusion, since he has no criminal record and it could potentially prevent a crime from occurring.  I do not have a criminal record, either.  That does not mean I have nothing to hide.  It is no business of anyone, let alone a government agency "my taste in music, what type of porn I like," or anything else one could glean from my internet history or phone conversations.  Mr. Call is right, Americans are not special. We are, however, entitled to the rights afforded to us by the Constitution.

     Mr. Call goes on to admit that statistics on actual crime prevented because of this "spying" are hard to find. Funny how that works, is it not?  The government does not have to make information easy to access, yet we are expected to sit back while they sift through our lives.  Well, while I could not find actual numbers either, it could not have been enough to validate the intrusion.  The Patriot Act has expired and been replaced with The USA Freedom Act (oh, the irony of these names!).  This comes after President Obama's Presidential Review Group and the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board revealed that the information gained from the Patriot Act was not essential to preventing attacks.(1)  So, in essence, the ends did not justify the means.  The USA Freedom Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ending Eavesdropping, Dragnet-collection and Online Monitoring Act), is intended to correct the issue of privacy violation while still allowing surveillance.(2)  Or so "they" say. I wholeheartedly believe this is just another intrusion made to appear less menacing.

     Another point made by Mr. Call is the potential for abuse by the "watchers."  He does not defend this behavior, instead calls for punishment, but it is not enough for him to discredit the system.  He draws a comparison from the police, stating we should "punish those who abuse the system, and realize it is there for our benefit."  On this point, I absolutely agree with Mr. Call.  The police are there for our benefit.  And yes, there are those that take advantage of their position.  The same could be said of many professions, from teachers to doctors.  It has happened, and it will continue to happen.  That is the problem with humans; we can be monstrous creatures.  Regardless, I  think the police are doing more good than harm, despite what the media would have us believe.  Is the NSA?  "Spying on current or former significant others" or listening to "sexually explicit" phone calls may not seem like such a major abuse of resources in the grand scheme of things, but what else could they be doing? I am certain we will never know the extent of their capabilities.   Another thing to question is whether or not something seemingly innocent can come back to haunt someone later.  If there are records of  phone calls in which I may have made a comment(either in jest or completely innocent) and someone I have known or know does something deemed criminal, could I be held accountable, an accessory?  It seems unlikely, but if the NSA wants to pin you for something, I am betting they have enough information on you to do it, perhaps "10 years" worth.  To use Mr. Call's comparison, the cops have the ability to do it all the time.  Sometimes it is not even the actual information they have, but the lack thereof.  (As a side note, check out this link: Don't Talk to Cops)  The police, however, do not have the ease to access data that the NSA has, making it much easier for the NSA to manipulate the facts in which ever way they seem fit. 

     Ultimately, Mr. Call made me question whether this type of intrusion is justified.  If the NSA came to me claiming  "you could save a child's life if you would just give us your phone records," I would probably do it.  However, I do not believe the intention of the government is to protect.  I believe is to control.  They use fear as a means to have the American people give up their rights.  Sure, it may seem innocuous on the surface(the road to hell is paved with good intentions), and for all I know, it is, though I highly doubt it. Not to mention, anytime data is stored, it can be hacked.  I hate to imagine the kind of damage that could be done were this to happen. Despite Mr. Call's efforts, and he did a damn good job, I am not convinced that slowly giving up my civil liberties in the name of safety is the way to go.

(1) ps://www.rt.com/usa/264005-freedom-patriot-act-surveillance/
(2)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Freedom_Act