Much has been made about the sanctity of our personal data in the wake of the Edward Snowden debacle. This author in particular takes issue with the US government's need to hoard information accumulated about it citizens and calls for an end to the free reign currently being exercised by the NSA.
However, while this type of critique is both welcome and necessary, society should force itself to consider the drawbacks of an alternative scenario - a world where excessive restrictions on government activity compromises our ability to protect ourselves against those who seek to hurt us.
I care about the integrity of the Privacy Act deeply, but I also care about national security and the threats posed by our enemies. Overall, the possibility of personal information being harvested for the purposes of higher order issues needs to be weighed against the catastrophic implications of curtailing our intelligence activities.
It remains to be seen where this debate will lead us. In the digital age, we should demand stringent controls on the accessibility of our personal communications. It is our right to do so. But let us not lose sight of the cost of going too far.
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http://www.ocregister.com/articles/americans-628288-government-sensitive.html
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