Looking Through the PRISM

Due to thee abundance of quotations that are attributed to Benjamin Franklin, it seems that everything the American cultural colossus ever wrote down or said can be applied to democratic society in one way or another. His 1775 declaration that "they who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety", however, appears particularly relevant in light of the recent news surrounding the NSA's data mining program. Whether or not you agree with the actions of Edward Snowden (the man who leaked the information surrounding the PRISM program), the operations undertaken by the NSA are now out in the open for the public to interpret and, at the very least, warrant a renewed discussion about surveillance in the post-9/11 era.

President Obama's argument in favor of the PRISM program are founded in the pragmatism we have come to expect from the Commander in Chief. He claims that "you can't have 100 percent security, and also then have 100 percent privacy and zero inconvenience".

While it is quite clear that our current security climate does necessitate some abnormal precautions, secretly gathering large swaths of digital information about people who are, in the vast majority of cases, completely innocent is a great way to lose the public's trust. Additionally, compiling these records without probable cause does seem to test, or possibly violate, the IVth Amendment rights of the entire American population. However, as notions of privacy and property become more abstract in the digital age, what constitutes an unreasonable search or seizure will surely be tinkered with.

The big problem here is lack of transparency. Disenchantment with government has existed in this country since its founding, but it has seemed especially prevalent since the turn of the millennium. Voter turnout in the 2012 Presidential Election was a mere 57.5% of eligible voters, and it is unlikely that it was because the other 42.5% was stuck in traffic. Programs like PRISM may help protect us to a degree, but they create a considerable amount of distrust between the government and the American people. Terrorists may try and hinder out democracy, but an inactive citizenry will bring it to its knees.