The discussion of the relations between security and privacy has been a long and complicated one. With the revelations of Edward Snowden hitting the media, the dormant conflict escalated once again. This paper will discuss various implications of the National Surveillance Program based on the documentary “United States of Secrets.”
Movie Overview
The film describes in great detail the surveillance program which is simply called “The Program.” Former government officials retell the story of the system being authorized after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The program was enacted after it became absolutely clear that the NSA could not fulfill its duties efficiently. Apparently, after the Nixon administration scandal, the agency designed to prevent such attacks has had its hands tied. In order to stop further catastrophes, the president authorized the creation of an enormous surveillance network designed to gather massive amounts of information. After “The Program” started, it began collecting emails, phone calls and other pieces of data from the citizens of the US and other countries. Initially, it was supposed to protect the personal data by encrypting it, but that protocol has been removed. The documentary denotes the fact that the surveillance is inherently unethical, politically stupid, and violates the Constitution. The movie also gives an account of how Edward Snowden became a whistleblower and of the massive backlash it caused. It also notes the efforts of other people to disclose the issue and how they were silenced.
Security vs. Privacy
According to the movie, the existence of “The Program” has been justified by the risks which existed at the time. The 9/11 attacks have triggered a massive hysteria which made the solution seem legitimate for many government officials. However, the program was exposed twelve years later, and it was still going. After the US military operations in the Middle East, the terrorist threat should have been hampered making such extreme measures entirely unnecessary. And the surveillance continues to this day, despite receiving harsh criticism. It is clear that at this point the wartime authority which allowed General Hayden to create the program no longer applies. While the surveillance protocol was designed to address a huge security issue, it was unethical even at the time. Violating the privacy of the US citizens is not justifiable under any circumstances. It is particularly true today when the immediate threat is gone.
Is There a Solution?
I think, it is clear that “The Program” is an obscene abuse of power by the government. However, some sort of effective surveillance system is clearly necessary to ensure the national security. And the most horrifying part of the whole story is the fact that an ethical solution existed even at the time “The Program” was established. The ThinLine protocol addressed all of the concerns regarding the program by encrypting the collected data and ensuring anonymity. But that solution was rejected for no apparent reason. That raises a lot of questions about the decision-making process in the government and the true aims of the current surveillance system. Overall, the only real solution to the conflict between security and privacy is ensuring that the government follows a strict ethical code and the principles of the Constitution. That can be helped by supporting the whistleblowers and protesting against them being prosecuted.
Conclusion
“United States of Secrets” demonstrates how the government can abuse its power under the pretense of protecting the citizens. It is hard to see how such privacy violation can be justified. There is no clear-cut solution to the conflict between the privacy and security concerns but the refusal to even address it is not an answer.