Should The Government Monitor Social Media?

"The technological advancements being made in the twenty-first century are remarkable and have a lasting impact on society. The Internet has brought many opportunities to citizens of countries spanning across the globe. The Internet provides information, job opportunities, economic improvements through online shopping, and a platform for wide human interaction through social media. The Internet, however, is often misused and taken for granted. Social media, in particular, is often a platform for displaying pornography, illegal use of substances, protest, and even personal issues, such as cyber-bullying. This brings the government’s ability to monitor Internet use into question. The extent of which the government holds to monitor social media, is often debated, but in the end, must remain consistent with the …show more content…
The use of social media as a platform for pornography, substance abuse, protest, and cyber bullying, while disturbing to many, cannot be condemned because of the rights guaranteed to the people by the Bill of Rights. Social media is often used to advertise pornographic websites, as well as publicly display nude photos and provocative images. While these images are disturbing to many social media users, the power to remove the photos and advertisements cannot lie with the government. Based on the Bill of Rights, only the account owners and the social media platform itself have the power to remove or dictate the post. While the government should have the ability to access the posts and monitor the internet, the government does not have the power to act upon their observations because of the implied right to privacy in the Third and Fourth amendment. Even though possession of drugs is illegal, government officials and first responders must have a warrant to search the possessor and a reason to arrest them, aside from an instagram post. While many find aggressive facebook posts on political views annoying, opinion or protest is