Should the government screen e-mails for terrorist plots?
From March of this year the government has awarded itself permission to spy on all emails terrorist or not. No I believe that the security services should be limited to searches approved by a senior judge. Security should not be used as a blunt instrument to beat the public into accepting a police state. Whilst there may be some improvement in counter terrorism standards if we readily accepted state intrusion,I feel that the state is exploiting the terrorist threat to force through monitoring legislation.
No point unless the people they screen are known to them. Let’s fact it – if they came up with a method of search screening emails of the masses – they would be inundated with mail to look at when you take into account all the jokes and jokers out there. Hell, they’d even be screening me on a daily basis with my terrorist jokes to friends…….
I will answer your question in three parts. 1- No, because the screening of e-mails is unconstitutional because it is a roadblock to the freedom of speech and expression given in the 1st Amendment of the Bill of Rights. 2- The question is not so much should the government do it, but are they already doing it now. The answer is yes due to the Patriot Act. I am surprised there has not been any legal challenges to this legislation. 3- I also believe you must take responsibility for the information you post online whether it is on Y-A, Job Sites, Social Sites. Remember you are responsible for what you post. I agree that government violates the Constitution through the Patriot Act, but I also think we need to be wise in what we say online and hold ourselves to accountable for what we do.
