Should Americans be willing to accept some govt. eavesdropping on their phones & internet?
111580
Absolutely NOT unless they have a warrant. I have nothing to hide, but I do NOT need someone else to verify that for me, nor to think they need to do so.
161259
If the USA govt seek help from Yahoo to hunt down someone that can threaten its national security, should yahoo comply? your answer will answered the original question.
312239
Aboslutely not! Any nation willing to exchange privacy for security deserves and will have neither.That is a rough quote from one of our founding fathers.Franklin or Jefferson,I think.
111041
No its completely different. Peeping Tom's and stalkers have bad intentions where as wrong or right spying on american citizens is meant for safety.
64820
I have nothing to hide. I understand the fears that some people have of a government with unlimited secret controls, but those are usually your conspiracy buffs, anyway.\n\nSpy, guys... spy. We are living in the greatest and strongest nation in the world, and many resent us for that. Sadly, the greatest harm to our way of life will come from within our own borders,
571256
The goverment has concealed things from the public since it's formation. Cover stories and diversion stories are created daily. With today's instant communications technology, it's not as easy. And it's not always with evil intent. For example, when the 911 incident occurred, the idea was that the least truthful information released to the public the better, so as not to create panic over possible future or more attacks that law enforcement had no advance knowledge of where it would occur, even though they told us it highly probable it would. The theory is tell the public the least information possible with plausible deniability. If that isn't possible, and real information for the safety of the public is available, release it according to its weight against negative panic and fear that it may cause. The least the better is rule of thumb in goverment.
314694
In public, without using electronics? No.\n\nIf you are wiretapping or using other electronic devices, probably.  If you provide more details, you might get more specific help.\n\n(The laws in question will probably be Tennessee, but federal law may or may not be implicated.)
125248
It is forbidden to spy on people in the US, by people in the US. We have listening stations outside the US, they do the work
53756
I strongly believe in our right to privacy. However they are not listening to my phone calls, and if it would save American lives then I would gladly let them listen. One previous answer quoted Ben Franklin. However Franklin lived in a much different time and couldn't even imagine the enemyies we are facing today. How would you feel if they could have avoided the 911 attack by listening to a phone call and didn't because they did not want to infringe on the civil liberties of a few wack jobs.
425684
I speak from across the fence on this matter, but I will let you know what I hear most often. The Patriot Act that has broadened the government's ability to seek information from it's fellow citizens has left some more liberal voters upset. They feel that the government's noose of power has grown a bit tighter, and I assume they foresee a future government domination over the people of this nation. I do not know of any firsthand accounts where someone's privacy rights have been infringed upon, or violated. Not that I wish there was, but there doesn't seem to be anyone personally hurt by the Act. Personally, I've felt that as long as man would uphold his responsibilites to treat his fellow man with love, and respect there would be no need for government at all. But we both know that we fail to do this, therefore creating a need for government. So if the privilages we enjoy so dearly seem in danger, I believe it is because of our own faults. I hope that this has been helpful.
606946
"national securiy" is in they eye (ear?) of the beholder.\nwhether or not you think you are doing something illegal may be irrelevent. also, there is money to be made off your personal information-which will hopefully never be misused by commercial corporations. but what are the odds of your conversation being targeted out of the entire American cell-phone user population?
221418
Not at all.\n\nThere are millions of people screaming, "Unfair! You are violating my rights!" Yet, how many people can actually say the have been a subject of the so-called "domesticy spying" program? How many people have actually had their phones tapped and conversations recorded?\n\nFor that matter, how many people have been the subject of a Patriot Act investigation? How many have had their library records looked at? How many have had their information spread across every intelligence agency in the nation?\n\nMy point is this: The only people who are being targeted are being targeted for a REASON. The government does not just indiscriminately say, "Let's listen in on John Q. Public's conversation for sh!ts and giggles today." Uncle Sam does not just pick phone numbers at random to listen to. There is a REASON they investigate who they do. And I, for one, WANT them investigated. If they are doing no wrong, the investigation will clear them. But if they ARE doing wrong, I sure as hell hope we are doing EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to stop them. The next attack could cost hundreds of thousands of American lives.\n\n"When NSA goes after the content of a communication under this authorization from the president, the NSA has already established its reasons for being interested in that specific communication. I've said in other places this isn't a drift net over Lackawanna or Freemont or Dearborn, grabbing all communications and then sifting them out."\n\n-- Gen. Michael Hayden (Deputy Director of National Intelligence)\n\nBottom line: If your phone hasn't been tapped, your rights have not been violated. If you are not engaging in any illegal activity, chances are 99.999% that you phone hasn't been tapped.
1260
The government should have the right to observe citizens. The NSA's mission is just that: to observe electronically criminal and terrorist interests. It is largely unlikely that a Big Brother society will develop as a result of this: the government will never have enough resources to listen in on everyone, nor would they want to. \n\nElectronic bugging has caught many criminals where standard investigations failed. These men include John Gotti, other Mafia dons, terrorists, and organized crime rings. It is an essential part of law enforcement and must continue.
611255
I feel that its totally against everything that is American. How about everyone straps a GPS system to their legs so the government knows where everyone is, oops that's right cell phones i almost forgot. Besides this the government is saying its all in public safety, but i dont kno how safe i feel if i know someone is listening to my phone calls. Give me a break if i wanted to blow some shit up I wouldn't talk on the phone to make plans for it anyway.
900108
Yeeehah for the American way! It's only free speech if they say it is. OK? Other than that, you must be content with the illusion of free speech and make sure they don't realise who you are through your ISP. Have you ever watched Spooks?
8907
no! it makes me feel less safe in my own daily environment, and i know a lot of people that feel the same way. not only are the nsa's domestic spying operations illegal, but they are irrelevant, if not counterproductive, to achieving a real sense of security for the average american.
953509
You've lost the "right" to have friendly phone chats with Osama.\n\nYou've lost the "right" to expose covert agents and secret programs while defending your terrorist activities.\n\n[Oh, and "Sneak & Peek" searches are done by warrant - it's just that you are not alerted. Don't these people know even the simplest thing?]