[UNOCT] USA: What Happened to Privacy?

Written by The Nation Pakistan

Privacy - a state in which one is not observed or disturbed by other people.

Earlier in the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office (UNOCT) press conference, the United States delegate was pressured on how the citizens sovereignty and privacy are not infringed when the government is surveilling drug traffickers. They rebutted stating that there are boundaries in place to prevent intrusion. However, no specifics were given.

They were then questioned if the policy would change for the citizens' privacy. They then gave a brief plan on improving their legislation and giving the citizens the freedom to choose whether to use drugs. It was also highlighted that the government has the authority of investigating suspicious individuals, while restating that the privacy of innocent citizens was an importance too.

In response to the growing terrorist threat, the United States has stepped up its counter-terrorism operations, with the goal of improving the government's capacity to prevent terrorist attacks before they happen. These initiatives have sparked worries about counterterrorism programs' possible harmful effects on Americans' privacy and other civil rights, as well as the effectiveness of applicable civil liberties protections. Because terrorists blend in with law-abiding society, activities aimed at identifying and preventing their acts before they happen heighten the risk of harming a free, democratic society through well-intentioned security measures. One such concern is that law-abiding citizens who believe that government agencies and powerful private institutions are watching them too closely may be prevented from fully participating in the democratic process, from contributing fully to their communities' social and cultural life, and even from changing their purely private and perfectly legal behaviour.

The right to privacy is protected by federal law. Although there is no specific constitutional amendment guaranteeing privacy, legal experts have acknowledged the “right to be left alone” since 1890. Finally, in 1965, the Supreme Court declared that the right to privacy is protected by the Constitution.

The question is, does the United States government really care about the privacy of citizens? 

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