After my phone battery died once again after 30 minutes of use, I finally had enough. Frustrated at my Android, I contemplated making the switch to an iPhone, since at the time, I had the option of switching cell phone providers (I wasn’t satisfied with how my current provider was working out for me). I was told that Verizon was the perfect company to go for. After all, I was told it was the mobile phone provider of choice for government employees. Little did I know the plans the government had with this company.
Verizon has approximately 98.9 million wireless customers. That number consists of a third of the US population. I would definitely agree that it’s the service provider of choice for many of my friends as well as peers around BC. The whole spying scandal was not something I had been anticipating, and while it was exciting, interesting and captivated my attention as I itched to learn more about it. I found that it was not as big of a deal as I would have loved to gossip about.
The National Security Agency acting as part of the Department of Defense runs thorough surveillance programs. What really got the media pumped up was the fact that the NSA had received data bases and information from phone companies.According to FISA, the government is allowed to investigate potential threats from foreigners to the American citizens and request particular records for further speculation. This leads into the Patriot Act, which gives the government permission to request relevant records during an investigation.
I don’t have a problem with the government “spying” on us. The NSA chief claims that dozens of potential terrorist attacks have been prevented due to its surveillance. Regardless of if they actually have or not, I believe that there needs to be some sort of observation to protect the citizens of this country.
On a smaller scale, picture the BC Associated Student Government having access to student data to identify potential hazards to the school and students and intervening to keep BC a safe. Now that the US and other countries are aware of the NSA’s programs, it makes me curious as to what will happen next in terms of protecting the nation.