When the Bill of Rights was passed in 1789, no one could have planned for the internet. But, how do we adapt a 213-year-old document to today's technologies? In the past year or so, there have been many attempts to update the constitution for attaining information from Americans' online lives. However, the laws have been met with much debate and controversy about whether or not it infringes on our civil liberties. The United States Government should have the ability to examine our online interactions just as they are allowed to examine our real life.

I feel that the new information laws are necessary for the security of our nation. If terrorists only communicated with telephones, we could legally use surveillance to observe their conversations. Terrorists in the Twenty-first Century, however, use the internet for communicating. With new technologies comes the need for updated laws. When the telephone was introduced, there was much debate over the validity of wiretapping. Soon it was seen that the government needed the power to monitor the technology's uses. Today, we are going through the same debate with the internet. How much power is too much? Am I losing my civil rights? What else can the government snoop into now?

My stance on the issue is simple. Don't do anything illegal, and you don't have to worry about the government sniffing around your computer. If you are a law-abiding citizen, you have little to fear. I realize that the government may be reading my emails to my girlfriend without permission or my knowledge. Fine. If they want to read sappy love letters, that's their prerogative. If I was involved in a terrorist organization, I'd be a little more scared.

 

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