NSA Spying at a New Level

The recent United States surveillance program has sparked quite a bit of controversy. The documents leaked by Edward Snowden caused quite a stir over what information the government has access to and if they should have access to that information. That the government can observe and note which sites you visit, when you visit them, how frequently you visit them, etc. has caused many people to question exactly what type of information the government should be able to record. Recently it has been identified that the surveillance program has another ability. The document stated that the United States government was using this recorded information to target people who had radical viewpoints. The government would use this information to discredit those people.

                The document in question contained information identifying two Muslims who had visited online pornographic sites. The document said that because the United States government had recorded proof that they visited these types of websites the individuals were vulnerable to accusations of “online promiscuity”. However the threat of “online promiscuity” is not the only type of threat the United States government records. Other threats such as using donations to pay personal expenses, charging exorbitant speaking gees, and using questionable sources and contradictory language in public messages are also noted. There are supposedly six other Muslims identified in other documents along with a notation of what threats they are vulnerable to for future exploitation.

                During a talk on campus given by two representatives from the NSA, they stated that the program was used solely for the monitoring of international persons. They stated that there were numerous checks in place so that the system would not be used to monitor US citizens. Given this news one has to wonder if this is really true. It seems that this surveillance system has been given extended capabilities so that the government can target those people who speak out against it. One has to wonder how soon the government will move on from housing blackmail material on those who speak out against it to everyone.

                These concerns have already created tension between the US and the EU. In the EU there is Safe Harbour Principals, this is meant to ensure the protection of personal data for EU citizens. Washington DC supposedly recognizes and abides by these principals. However, this behavior of creating a blackmail list of those the government does not like does not sit well with the EU. Currently there is a deadline of the summer of 2014 for a response from the NSA on what is really happening and how this might affect the Safe Harbour Principals.