• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
      Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
    • CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
      CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
    • WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
      WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification
      Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification
    • It’s time to put traditional grading to the test
      It’s time to put traditional grading to the test
    • What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?
      What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • No image
      Pentimento’s Open Mic is Like an Old Patchwork Quilt–Worn, Yet Cozy
    • No image
      Kanye’s Antisemitism Steps on his Shoe Brand
    • Lousy Realities: Luca Guadagnino (2015)
      Lousy Realities: Luca Guadagnino (2015)
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Sports and Wellness
    • Student-Athlete of October
      Student-Athlete of October
    • Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
      Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
    • The Case for Body Neutrality
      The Case for Body Neutrality
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Top 10 Girlbosses who aren’t alumnae, but I would totally believe you if you told me they were
      Top 10 Girlbosses who aren’t alumnae, but I would totally believe you if you told me they were
    • Wendy Wellesley’s Thanksgiving Menu
      Wendy Wellesley’s Thanksgiving Menu
    • The Snooze Awards for the Best Tanners of 2022
      The Snooze Awards for the Best Tanners of 2022
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Kai Barreras OpinionsMarch 14, 2019

What is the future of American Privacy? Ask yourself.

Photo Courtesy of Zero Hedge

The attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 did more than awaken our nation to the reality of our contemporary national security system; it called forth change within our government to reform the existing system that was incapable of predicting, preventing or evading the disaster. The horror and disbelief that plagued the country after the attack fueled the establishment of the metadata collection through collaborative efforts from U.S. communications providers by the National Security Agency (NSA). The existence of this program was not made public until 2013 when Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor, exposed the NSA’s metadata collections, arousing national concern for the value of American privacy in the modern age. After Snowden’s actions, many lawsuits were filed claiming the metadata collections were a violation of First and Fourth Amendment rights. Though the collection was never deemed unconstitutional, limitations much like the USA Freedom Act and the Patriot Act were established to limit the scope of government intrusion into the personal lives of citizens.

There has been a great deal of controversy regarding the extent to which the government may intrude into the private lives of Americans. The trade-off between public safety and personal privacy was something no American was either informed about or gave consent to. In a democracy where citizens are given the right to participate in policy debates regarding the decisions that affect them, the NSA does not seem to adhere to these principles. While the limitations on the collections themselves have significantly barred entrance into the data collected by communications providers, our privacy can still be infringed upon given the approval of a court judge. Furthermore, these privacy and civil liberties protections were construed as a result of severe public pressures manifesting within the courts, not the inherent contradiction within the First and Fourth Amendments.

A recent comment by a congressional aid suggested that the NSA’s metadata collection efforts have been halted for the past six months. Though this seems to be forward progress in regard to the protection of American privacy, there is no assurance that the mention of the NSA’s suspension of the program accurately reports on their actions. Analogous to their past methods of public dissemination of information, the NSA is infamous for its lack of transparency in broadcasting their initiatives. There is no official verification of the claims made and thus no security that the deliberate divide between our public and private lives will be respected by the NSA’s future demands. Though the intention behind NSA’s initiative has been well-placed to address the concern for national safety, it has not always conformed to the democratic ideals upon which our government was founded.

The seemingly progressive development towards reclaiming American privacy after 9/11 is compromised simply because there is no official boundary that permanently prohibits the NSA from returning to their metadata collections with substantial evidence of a national security concern. Privacy is and will continue to be at risk until an official regulation is established barring the continuation of collections. However, the approval of a regulation of this sort does not seem likely. If the initially severe public backlash from the Snowden reveal was not capable of delivering upon the demand for shutdown of metadata collections within the courts, then what evidence is there to buttress and propel the implementation of a ban years later?

Regardless of what claims are circulating the media currently, there is no sufficient motive to believe that the future of American privacy has been in any way altered by these recent statements. Past metadata collections were not authorized by the public whose information was being monitored without either advisory or request for consent. Trends from past confrontations with government leaks offer us no solace knowing that, going forward, transparency with the metadata collections will not be prioritized. As the technology available to us grows at an exponential rate, it becomes more apparent that the laws enabling these collections will feed off of increased data availability made possible by these advancements. Rather than look to the NSA for an official termination of the metadata collection program, American citizens can look to the tech and communications industries to question just how much information and consequently power they are willing to resign, in exchange for their security – an agreement upon which they entered unknowingly as they conform to the structure of modern society’s social and technological habits.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleWe must be critical of our candidates
Next articleHarvard and Weinstein: can’t have both

You may also like

Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification

It’s time to put traditional grading to the test

Banner reading this website has been seized over images of a book shelf

What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?

1 Comment

  • Reese Stein says:
    March 18, 2019 at 10:48 PM

    I discovered this article while doing research for my AP Government assignment and I am absolutely blown away by it. The profound, succinct points the author makes as she deeply analyzes a point of contention in our society with grace. Their passion for the people and their personal rights clearly shines through.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top