Government Surveillance Vs Privacy

Imagine a nation that forced people living here report to it at all times of what they are doing, where they are going, who they are speaking to, and even how they spend their money. Probably no one would want to live in such place where its citizens could not enjoy the freedom and dignity that are constitutive elements of a liberal democracy. Although the U.S. government does not compel its citizens directly to share their private information, it relies on various kinds of surveillance and data mining technology to trace and collect individuals’ information, and then, analyzes and uses them at will, in the name of national security. It seems that the development of technology has expanded the government’s ability to profile any given person under …show more content…
It is fair to say that security plays a significant role; sometimes people should sacrifice their personal information for national security. However, rather than a debate regarding privacy and security, “nothing to hide” argument is about a choice between human rights and power. More precisely, if you have nothing to hide, why you are worried about being watched or investigated by others. Here, the main problem with surveillance is not that someone’s privacy is invaded. Instead, government surveillance creates a power imbalance, depriving of human rights. Solove states that the private information collecting programs lack of transparency and accountability (344). The governmental agencies know everything about you; you know nothing about them. They have all the power to collect everything they want; you have no idea how your private information will be processed. It seems that those who have the least power have the least amount of privacy. Thus, privacy matters because it is a way for people to defend their human