Domestic Surveillance Pros And Cons

On September 11, 2001, a group of terrorists hijacked two commercial planes, flying them straight toward the Twin Towers destroying one of the most well-known landmarks. This act was responsible for the death of thousands of innocent citizens.The Domestic Surveillance Program was created as a result of the treacherous September 11 attacks under the hope that they could prevent the possibility of more fatalities. Conducted by the National Security Agency, this program sparked a great debate on whether the collection of citizens’ personal lives to protect their safety was ethical or not. This issue is important to the state of our country as no one is entirely sure whether sacrificing some of our privacy actually helps in keeping us safe. Domestic …show more content…
National Reviews states, “The program does not represent a violation of the Constitution because the Fourth Amendment does not protect dialed phone numbers, in contrast to the content of the communications, because individuals lose privacy over those numbers when they are given to the phone number.” This quotes proves that the public, when purchasing electronics, understands that they would have to sacrifice some of their privacy when providing phone companies their numbers, and these sacrifices are used to aid them, keeping them safe and protected. The Fourth Amendment is not being violated as their phone numbers are not personal as they are left for the public to see. My opposition believes that Domestic Surveillance is a clear violation against the Fourth Amendment right of no unreasonable searches or seizure; however, according to National Review, “Our Constitution’s authors and proponents warned against bowing to the sort of demagoguery that lies behind attacks on the NSA program as unconstitutional invasion of our rights. The Federalists Papers - the Bible of the Constitution’s meaning - warn at the outset.” This quote explains that Federal Surveillance is not represented as an unconstitutional invasion of privacy. In fact, it was those who wrote the Constitution who warned citizens to not be tricked into the irrational claims made up by some. …show more content…
According to Cornell University, “ The researchers found that video surveillance systems were most effective in parking lots. Across the studies included in the analysis, CCTV resulted in a 51 percent decrease in crimes committed in parking lots. CCTV resulted in a 23 percent decrease in crime on public transportation.” This quote shows that security cameras cause criminals to think about their actions consequences before committing a crime. Which would never occur without the aid of the closed circuit television cameras, also known as CCTV. While a concern for privacy is a great factor when it comes to surveillance, majority of the citizens feel as the well being of those around them are far more important. Some falsely believe that CCTV cameras only infringe on society's privacy and has no effect when it comes to preventing possible crimes from occurring; yet, according to Urban Institutes, “ Our evaluation of three cities found that the most effective systems are monitored by trained staff, have enough cameras to detect crimes in progress, and integrate the technology into all manner of law enforcement activities.” This quote describes that it has been proven that using the CCTV cameras help discern criminals from the rest of the citizens. When they are monitored by trained staff, the use of the technology can allow police to find out exactly when