We ’ve heard from lots of folks whoare passionately concerned about the NSA ’s people detection , but are skin to get their friends and family to interpret the problem and link the over a half - million people who have demanded modification throughstopwatching.usand elsewhere .
Of course , you could show themthe block watch Us videoand thisgreat segment from Stephen Colbert . And if you ’d like a detailed refresher on all the ways NSA is contribute mass surveillance , ProPublica has a ready to hand explainerhere .
you’re able to also curb out this young video from filmmaker Brian Knappenberger ( author and director of We Are Legion : the Story of the Hacktivists ):
notice : clicking this thumbnail will take you to the New York Times ’ internet site .
But you also need to be fain to respond to the vernacular refrains of folks confused , at a loss , or simply eject from the headlines . So here ’s a trickster plane to assist you talk about the NSA spying when you ’re with family and Friend .
I have nothing to hide from the government, so why should I worry?
There are a few ways to answer to this , depending on what you call up will work well for the person raise the question .
Point out how aggregated surveillance leaves you at the clemency of not only the NSA , but also to the DEA , the FBI and even the IRS . We eff that the government claims that any grounds of a “ crime ” can be institutionalize to the appropriate law of nature enforcement federal agency .
Tell them that , even if you do n’t think you have something to hide , it ’s possible the administration thinks you do , or can create some concern about you ( or your friends or loved ones ) . There are so many laws and regulations on the books , Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner said the Congressional Research Servicedid not have the resourcesto count them all . One legal expert has arguedthat the average person belike commits three felony a Clarence Day without ever realizing . So , you may be technically breaking a practice of law you have no idea about .
We all gain from a system that allows seclusion . For example , when journalists can speak to sources without the ghost of surveillance , help fuel investigatory journalism and the costless rate of flow of info . And this is not just a divinatory — the Department of Justicesubpoenaedthe phone records of Associated Press journalists in an effort to track down government whistleblowers . And it ’s not just diarist . activist , political organizers , lawyers , individuals lead sensitive inquiry , businesses that want to keep their strategy confidential , and many others rely on dependable , secret , surveillance - destitute communication .
Isn’t the NSA using the mass spying to stop terrorists?
Even the NSA can not point to a individual terrorist attack they ’ve break using the Patriot Act phone surveillance syllabus that span up well-nigh every phone record in the United States . They ’ve thrown out many numbers claim that the data was helpful in some capacity , including repeatedly claim that it thwarted some 54 attacks , but those numbershave been good debunked .
The only remaining example the NSA point to is known as the “ Zazi pillow slip . ” However , in that case , the Associated Press reportedthat the government could have easily stop the plotwithout the NSA program , under confidence that comply with the Constitution . Sens . Ron Wyden and Mark Udallhave been saying thisfor a retentive prison term .
That ’s the point here : we can break terrorists with law enforcement office that this body politic has been using for tenner . We do n’t need to upend the Constitution to keep the nation safe .
The government will not abuse its power.
Some people think that the government will never abuse its baron , especially when the party they substantiate is in office staff . You should remind these masses that the government has a long history of overstretching its surveillance powers and using that information to attempt to pressure people . model of this include the NSA stag onMartin Luther King Jr. , Muhammad Ali , and even some seat senatorsin the 1960s . conceive of how Sen. Joe McCarthy ’s investigations might have gone if he had admittance to this kind of catching .
We already have grounds of abuse of baron . We know that the NSA analysts were using their surveillance big businessman totrack their ex-wife - married woman and husbands , and other love interestingness . They even had a name for it , LOVEINT . The FISA court has alsocited the NSA for violate or ignoring motor hotel ordersfor years at a time . And those are just ego - reported abuses . An self-governing investigation might reveal even more .
Allowing mass spying is patriotic.
stop untargeted capture of information is one of the central reasons we fight the War of Independence and blueprint the Fourth Amendment . During colonial time , the “ crime ” was revenue enhancement evasion — commend the Boston Tea Party ? The British crest issued Writs of Assistance , which were general warrants that allowed the British dominance to search through anyone ’s papers to get hold those who were skirting the taxes . American nationalist James Otis Jr. argued against the “ hated writs ” but lost his vitrine in the British homage . John Adams noted that from that grammatical case , “ the child independency was bear . ”
Since that time , warrants have had to specify the persons and places search . Mass surveillance by the NSA does neither . In short , one of our countries ’ set up principles is the proscription on aggregate searches and gaining control .
Kids today (or my friends) post everything they do on Facebook or Twitter, why should we care if the government can see too?
What people prefer to put on Facebook or Twitter ( or Instagram or Tumblr or some other service ) is almost always curated . citizenry put the best or sometimes the bad things that happen to them online , butstudies show they stillkeep thing private , and confine the hearing for other data . A new poll shows vernal peoplemay even be more concealment consciousthan older adults .
We all sleep together someone whose Facebook feed continued to show happy characterization even as they went through a terrible detachment or divorcement . The tip of secrecy is control over the data that is available about you . Some people pick out to share more , some choose to apportion less , but nigh everyone want the power to pick and choose what information is useable about them to their admirer and to stranger , like future employer or NSA agents .
Google and Facebook have my information, so why shouldn’t the NSA?
There are many privacy problems with how the jumbo Internet companies gather and practice so much of your personal data point . However , Google and Facebook do not have the king to halt you and , unlike governance surveillance , there are other choices for communication tools . For example , you may use DuckDuckGo instead of Google hunt .
Remember : while we may not like how company collect a lot of our data , they are not under the same requirement to stick with the Fourth Amendment . We necessitate to protect the private information held by companies too , but the Constitution provides a foundation that always protects our communication from the prying center of government .
It’s just metadata, so why should I care?
For the aggregate sound record solicitation programme , the NSA has said it is not “ listening in ” to telephone vociferation . Instead they are collecting a record of everyone you call , who calls you , when you ’re on the phone , the length of your sound call , and at times , evenyour location .
This “ metadata ” can be as invasive as the subject of your conversations . It can reveal your religious and political view , who you are go steady ( and when you fall in up ) , who your married person and children are , your movements , and even information your near friends and family do n’t lie with , such as aesculapian conditions .
Additionally , the administration is bring forth more than just metadata . We also know the government has obtain online content , include email , under separate programs , and used the data based on a guess that you are 51 percent likely to be foreign , byscanning big a portion of the full number of emailsentering and get out the United States . Metadata is only a part of the governance spying programs .
This sucks, but there’s nothing I can do!
Actually there is plenty you may do ! First , join the over half - million others and sign our petition atstopwatching.us . Then call your example in Congress — there are bills going through Congress powerful now thatcould curtail some of this spyingand bring literal transparency and answerability to the NSA . There are also some thatneed to be opposedso we do n’t end up legitimatize much of this illegal surveillance .
There ’s lots you could do to crusade NSA surveillance . But one of the most of import thing you could do is excuse why this issue is crucial to acquaintance and family . So please share this guide widely .
This post first appeared on Electronic Frontier Foundation and is republish under Creative Commons permit .
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