The “Right” to Privacy? - The Debate over the United States Government’s Control over its Cyberspace

This research note centres on a critical issue in the United States, that is, in the name of anti-terrorism the state utilises sophisticated cyber-surveillance machinery to protect its citizens’ while at the same time promising to protect their civil liberties. The examination here of this issue seeks to go beyond the dichotomy of ‘liberty vs. security’ but to how open the United States government should be about its cyberintelligence capabilities and how these apparatuses are possibly infringing upon its citizens’ freedoms. The freshness of the controversy stems from Edward Snowden’s claims the U.S. government (and its Allies) acted criminally by aiding and abetting its own agents to collect information on its populace in the absence of lawful means. This case has brought a range of legal and ethical questions on democratic states’ cyber-intelligence gathering including calls for legislation to directly deal with 3 key issues: reduced privacy, increased government secrecy, strengthened government protection of special interests. This research will further discuss the demands of cyber-intelligence reforms put forth by Edward Snowden and whether these demands are in fact practical in modern, high-technology societies such as the United States.