[extropy-chat] privacy rights

[Samantha Atkins]

On May 12, 2006, at 7:19 PM, spike wrote:

>
> Do restart this thread if you wish, Zero.  Someone will hafta sign  
> up to
> take Mike's place on the privacy rights extreme, and I will be the  
> openness
> advocate again, altho I am far less extreme on that issue than I  
> once was.
> Having a baby on the way does change one's perspective on openness.
>

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses,  
papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures,  
shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable  
cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing  
the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
- Fourth Amendment to US Constitution

How can people be secure against intrusions on their persons, papers  
and effects at any arbitrary whim of the government if the government  
presumes authority to spy upon the people in any matter it chooses?    
Bush has declared that the "War on Terror" justifies his ordering the  
NSA to spy on Americans if they make calls overseas.  This is in  
clear defiance to not only the above but in defiance of the much  
weaker FISA restrictions and all relevant checks and balances.   Last  
week it came to light that the NSA has requested and obtained data on  
who calls whom among most American citizens since 9/11.  Again with  
no procedure against misuse or abuse by government or others and  
against the intent of our Constitution and with no public debate the  
government presumes that it can gather any data it wants any way it  
wants outside the law on the grounds that maybe it can be used to  
prevent a horrendous crime.  On Thursday the government denied the  
program.  On Friday it claimed there was nothing wrong with the  
program it had just denied the day before. The Patriot Act includes  
provisions allowing government agents to come into our homes with  
little or no judicial oversight or approval process whatsoever and  
without even informing us and search our premises and property.  The  
government has passed legislation allowing it to send a so-called  
"National Security Letter" to most any business or organization  
demanding any and all information about any of their clients.  If  
anyone in the organization even admits to being served with such a  
letter on an individual they are guilty of a felony.  The list is  
MUCH longer than this short sample.

"Privacy rights extreme"?   The extremes are largely on the other  
side it seems to me.

- samantha