Government Monitoring To Protect The Safety And Security Of Citizens

In the modern world, guaranteed safety has become a rarity. Due to this unsettling truth, citizens must relinquish varying levels of freedom to ensure their security and the security of society as a whole. Whether it is giving up the freedom to choose which side of the road to drive on or being forced to remove your shoes before flying, we give up little freedoms everyday in order to live in security. In fact, in any society the citizens within understand that they must sacrifice a certain amount of freedom in order to live together in peace.

A quote from H. L Mencken, “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe” holds truth visible across the globe. Traveling through international airports illustrates the popularity of the worldwide desire for safety. People willingly give up the freedom of privacy and those rights guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment, “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, ” to prevent dangers such as terrorism.

After 9/11 the dynamic of airports drastically changed. The congress of the United States created the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Condé Nast Traveler reports that on 9/11, “there were fewer than 20, 000 airport screeners” going to show how easily threats were able to enter these airports. As a result of this, more than 42, 000 screeners run by an entirely federal staff now exist in American airports. Congress allows these agents to see the contents in your bag, on your person and even use scanners that show embarrassing details of our bodies. The TSA was also granted the power to create their own rules on what you can and can’t take through airport security, which led them to ban blades, items considered menacing, and even liquids, gels, and aerosols in containers more than 3. 4 oz. Although airport security in America may seem strict, countries around the world, such as those in the middle east, have security routines that are much more intrusive. These procedures include vehicle screening up to 4 miles away from the airport, security screening before the entrance to the airport, before entrance to the terminal, inside the terminal, and even during boarding.

Society’s willingness to accept these extensive precautions goes to show how the average man’s longing for safety overrides the his desire for freedom and privacy. On the subject of privacy, governments have the ability to monitor our daily actions; where we go and what we do. There are nearly 13, 000 security cameras in New York City and police can access 4, 000 more private cameras if needed. That’s nothing compared to London where there are approximately 500, 000 security cameras. If you ask police they will tell you the cameras are an essential tool they need to protect the public from terror and crime. And most of the citizens of these metroplexes would agree, the cameras keep them safe and don’t even notice the intrusion into their privacy.

Government monitoring isn’t limited to the cameras the public is aware of, there is a far more intrusive system of monitoring those the government feels are a threat, the FISA court. The FISA court is a government established tribunal that decides whether to approve government requests to wiretap and collect data of suspected terrorists. All of this is done in secret and if the court approves, without restriction. The government can access personal information, place hidden microphones, monitor their daily actions and secretly invade the privacy of individuals throughout the nation. While many are unaware of this taking place, it is widely accepted by the population as freedom comes second to the necessary protection of society. One of the essential problems with the FISA court is that the normal checks and balances of the adversarial process are gone and it relies on the integrity of the vary people the Bill of Rights our founding fathers put into place to protect us from, the government. Again, Americans gave up freedom for the promise of security like all civilized societies have done. Even before there were automobiles, there were rules of the road everyone was expected to follow. Motorists don’t have the freedom to do whatever they want in their cars. The government limits how fast they can drive, tells them which side of the road to use and even requires the use of seatbelts.

All of these rules are in place to protect the safety and security of the driver and the rest of society as well. Speaking of driving, in order to operate a vehicle legally in the United States, drivers must carry a drivers license. In fact, it is necessary for citizens to carry passports and/or some form of personal identification almost everywhere they go. In order to travel between countries governments need to know exactly who you are and where you are going, all to ensure the safety of their people. Police in many jurisdictions, such as California, have the right to ask you for a photo identification if they can come up with a “reasonable suspicion” to justify the request. That is a fairly low bar for them to essentially ask for your papers like the Gestapo in 1930’s Germany.

All things considered, a world with absolute freedom would lead to the type of anarchy best displayed in the movie series “The Purge. ” Society allows us freedom until our actions threaten the freedom or security of our fellow citizens. While the constant fear of the invasion of privacy remains most citizens view government acts as necessary precaution proving H. L Mencken’s quote In “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe” to reign true.