Government Tracking: A Disruption of Our Privacy Essay

Submitted By salley98
Words: 1113
Pages: 5

Sarah Alley
Mrs. Johnessee
10th Honors Literature
4th Period
10 March 2014
Government Tracking: A Disruption of Our Privacy Government tracking is a gigantic controversy of society today. The government is using smartphone devices to track, locate and listen to individuals. Not only is this a complete loss of privacy to individuals, but also it will completely change the society that is known today. Federal laws should restrict when and how the government tracks citizens in order to protect an individual’s privacy and the stability of this country. Government officials invade citizens’ privacy by tracking when and where people use their smartphones. In a recent article, reporters uncovered that cell phone companies such as T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T are using customers’ smartphones to track their every text, every call and every move in turn compiling the information into a database connected to government agencies, allowing them access to the private information (Maas, Rahagopalan). The government is taking advantage of cell phone companies that are doing their jobs to provide back-up support for their customers. The government does not have the right to hack into the databases, because the right of private information is protected by the Bill of Rights. Online reporters recently discovered an unsettling truth, “ American society… is being tracked like never before, partly due to efforts to stop terrorism” (Bierman, Brender, Viser). The government is tracking people that were born and raised in the United Stares, who have no connection to terrorists. The only reason is that the government is tracking innocent citizens is because the government wants more control over our society, which will alter our democratic ways of the people in control. However government tracking can be beneficial to society by tracking criminals or jail runaways instead of innocent individuals. For example authorities have tracked multiple drug dealers, murders, and jail runaways by tracking cell phone calls or credit card purchases. However innocent people who have not committed crimes are being tracked, which is a violation of the fourth and fifth amendments of the Bill Of Rights. Overall government officials are using smartphone technologies in order to see innocent peoples’ calls, texts, and personal information in order to gain more control, which results in a loss of privacy rights for innocent citizens. Officials are able to listen in on anyone’s call and record the entire conversation at any time, which is violation of the Bill of Rights privacy amendments. On the contrary to popular belief, the government does have the ability to not only listen in on a conversation but also record everything that is said during any conversation (Washington’s Blog). The government being able to listen in on conversations is a complete loss of privacy, what is said in a conversation to another person is the individuals business, not the government’s. Citizens’ right of privacy is protected by the Bill Of Rights. A Washington Blog report says “ The Obama administration has been caught spying on the Version phone calls of tens of millions of Americans” (Washington’s Blog). The government has already been caught red-handed listening in to innocent citizens’ conversations. What is stopping them from taking it a step further and recording the conversation? Recording conversations between one person to another could result in the government using personal information of citizens to install fear in the community, thus resulting in a corrupted government, where the people are afraid to do what is right and take back their privacy. The government listening in on conversations between one citizen to another is a violation of privacy and should be prohibited in order to prevent the government’s corruption. Government tracking will create social issues for innocent people who should not be tracked. The FBI is working on combining the non-criminal and