NSA spying is justified by nat’l security concerns

By Tom Tyrrell

It’s come to America’s attention that the National Security Agency has been storing data and making warrantless phone taps to citizens and special persons alike. Living in the land of the free, where citizens are accustomed to having rights and being protected, this comes as a concern. Are we, the people, victims of the same government that was formed to serve us?

To answer this question, we have to consider why this is happening: it can all be traced back to Sept. 11.  After such a bloody day in history, American intelligence searched for ways to prevent further attacks. With the technological age we live in, it’s hard to ignore the fact that almost everyone has a cell phone and e-mail. The NSA has used this to its advantage and pushed these espionage tactics to a new level.

The government can access any phone call, text or e-mail you sent, dating back years. So can illegal activity you may have been involved with come back to you? Does the government know about the one time you were at a party drinking under age? If anything, it makes you think twice about what you’ve done on the phone the past year. The good news is that it doesn’t appear the NSA has the time or manpower to bust college kids for partying.

On Jan. 17 President Obama addressed the NSA spying issue. He informed Americans new laws are being written to prevent the government from overstepping boundaries.

It also helps to understand the actual way that the government uses the data it accesses.

Your cell phone carrier, for business purposes, stores phone records called ‘mega data’ and offers it to the NSA upon request.  Mega data doesn’t include conversational recordings.

It does, however, note the time a call is made, who was called and the length of a call. The government can get more specific information with a judicial review or if an attack is imminent on the U.S.

In order for a judicial review allowing further search to be successful, a suspect has be two steps removed from a known terrorist. That means if you know someone who knows someone that is showing activity with a terrorist, the government may be interested in the data.

President Obama intends to continue this activity.  It seems imperative for Americans safety.  Attacks on US soil still continue, with the most recent in Boston. If anything, surveillance should be increased. When we look at what is being examined and how it’s looked at, the spying isn’t very invasive on American lives.  Consider the extremists who try to hurt us — their methods are uncivilized, evil, unpredictable and unfortunately continue to be a problem.

When it comes down to it, one question needs to be answered: are you opposed to the government accessing data if it keeps America safe?

thtyrrell@mavs.coloradomesa.edu

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