WHY SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED ABOUT IT?

 

There’s a mantra among proponents of secret domestic spying: “If you’ve done nothing wrong,” they say, “you’ve got nothing to worry about.” Even if the government is listening in on your telephone conversations, nothing bad will happen to you unless you’re a terrorist or a drug dealer.

Of course, the logic of the statement runs counter to both the Fourth (protection from unreasonable search and seizure) and Fifth (due process, protection from self-incrimination) amendments. Such surveillance is a fundamental violation of our civil rights—rights that criminals and terrorists have, too.

The right to privacy is one of the foundations of a free and functioning democracy. Without the expectation of privacy in our personal communications, it becomes impossible for us to act freely. There’s a reason totalitarian states keep a close eye on their citizens—if people know they’re being watched, they won’t misbehave. If the government is already collecting information on everyone, it’s a short step from busting drug dealers to hassling political dissidents, religious dissenters, or social freaks. If they’re checking up on everyone, how do they differentiate between agents of a terrorist organization actually planning an attack and teenage anarchists chatting idly about the overthrow of their school principal?

You should be very afraid of programs like ECHELON. Because when any part of the government begins ignoring the rights of its citizens, we have begun to lose our freedom.