The World After 9/11

Changed lives: The world after 9/11

Some people believe that life after September 11th 2001 changed, and it is true. People started to be obsessed with suspicions about each person that looks like a Muslim or someone who is Middle Eastern. Moreover, the U.S. Government started to spy on its citizens without any specific reason, but just a general policy stated to protect the security of all Americans. All of this has led to an invasion of privacy. However, statistics about the approval of TIPS and the Patriot Act show that six out of ten citizens wish to live in a country that is secure, which is why these operations have been accepted. (Langer par.3) Nevertheless these policies can go too far and the right of privacy should not be interfered with by the Government and their agencies.

It is true that people think that the invasion of Americans’ privacy can be useful for governmental issues and save American lives. TIPS or the Terrorist Information and Prevention System is an intelligence gathering system put in place by George Bush which had citizens of the U.S. reporting what they considered suspicious activity(“Privacy, Civil Rights Infringements Multiply after Sept.11”, 543). According to the same article, U.S. workers who entered peoples’ homes to install or repair things should report anything they think suspicious (543). This system was cancelled in 2002 after investigative journalist Ritt Goldstein in the Sydney Morning Herald drew “analogies to Nazi Germany’s citizen spies who reported to the Stasi secret police” (Goldstein par.2). The Patriot Act became law in October 2001 following the attacks on the twin towers. This dangerous act gives sweeping surveillance laws to the police and military agencies. Previously the court system had been used to make sure that these laws were not abused by these agencies ("Do the National Security Agency Surveillance Programs Violate American Citizens' Civil Liberties?" par. 18). Sixty percent of American citizens approve these Acts because it makes life feel safer when Government try to protect their society from terrorist acts. International travel has also been affected by these acts, the border security officials have enacted much stricter checks on travelers especially in what it is permitted to carry onto a plane (Cavoukian, 2). PRISM is a surveillance program operated by NSA that has been in operation since 2007, before the terrorist acts took place (Guarino, 44). Given the extent of surveillance that these programs provide it is surprising to learn the approval that many people give approval to the system and an example of why was the speed with which the police were able to capture the bombers of the Boston Marathon because various street cameras had their images (Von Drehl et al par.5). Therefore, yes, Government tries to provide as much as possible secure life for its citizens.

However, the Patriot Act