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Security Measures VS. Civil Liberties
John Stith
Staff Writer
2005-04-25
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
Congress continues debating the merits and flaws of the USA Patriot Act as the law is due to expire this year. Recently on NPR, a story was done discussing some aspects of the Patriot Act, namely, the ability of law enforcement to access voice mails from phone companies and others.
Currently, many use phone companies' voice mail services as part of the phone service package either through mobile phones or landlines. Law enforcement can access those lines.
Recently, I walked into a grocery to cash a check. It required an electronic scan of my fingerprint. Many banks are beginning to require the same thing. It's in order to protect my security and my banking from criminal elements in case someone was to steal my checks and try to use them.
Recently, an internet security firm named Blue Security discovered spammers were wandering into people's peer-to-peer connections to steal email addresses.
Zacarias Mousaoui waits to plead guilty to six indictment charges involving conspiracy on the 9/11 disasters. A security helicopter was shot down in Iraq carrying civilians, including a man who from just a few miles from my current residence.
The world certainly has become a scary place indeed. There are so many security threats everywhere. Heck… we just remembered the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing this week. It seems like the whole world, even our own people, are out to get us.
What do we do?
The Patriot Act is there to help law enforcement do their job and to help them fight terrorism. Ideally, it would never be abused. It would always be used fairly and without prejudice against those who wish to cause harm to the people and institutions of the United States. But Norman Schwarzkopf said once that you plan on the worst and if something better happens, then great. The problem is there are two "worst" sides to look at.
One worst side is terrorists running jumbo jets into skyscrapers or planning bombs in high traffic train tracks or leavings trucks full of explosives in front of federal office buildings. What about online stock trading firms having thousands of customers' information hacked or for that matter just a big retailer like a shoe company having over one million credit card numbers, social security numbers, names, addresses, phone numbers, etc. swiped by some rambunctious college kid with an attitude?
One needs to imagine the other worst-case scenario too. George Orwell certainly could. Your neighbors talking about your political leanings with the police, people going away in the middle of the night, never to return, someone watching your every move, through from a telescope or something else? Your personal spiritual belief system is put on trial. Not being able to speak your mind in a public forum or perhaps being charged with crimes or even investigated for them without knowing about it and when they do, you can' t tell anyone else all in the name of state security. These things aren't that far from our world right now in our own country. As a matter of fact, they go on in our country right now. We live in a fearful society and an insecure society. It's a very difficult decision to know where civil safety and security ends and civil liberties begin. Sometime, I think we cross the line. The revisions and repassage of the Patriot Act remain uncertain. I guess the question is whether it passes or not where do we go?
The U.S. certainly has enemies at home and abroad and the government has a responsibility to provide for the common defense of its citizens. THAT is in the Constitution. But how and where do we draw the line between our need for safety and security and our liberties or inalienable rights endowed to us by our creator?
About the Author:
John is a staff writer for SecurityProNews covering cyber security.
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