The idea that surveillance increases the safety of citizens is constantly present in the media. The fear that terrorists have integrated themselves into our society facilitates the conversation in which the media presents surveillance as a way of intercepting terrorist's communications.
In reality, terrorist groups have acknowledged the public nature of the internet and have deemed it “a bad way to communicate. Contact is facilitated through the dark net, an encrypted network that makes messages almost impossible to both find and decipher.
Studies have shown that Europeans are 30 to 50 times more likely to be under surveillance. It is important to note that that this is done on a far smaller scale than the United State's NSA. These laws that limit the NSA do not apply to territory outside of the United States.Additionally, the laws that limit the collection of data do not limit the collection of METADATA. This is the collection of data ABOUT communications. For example, the participants of a phone call.
Government agencies collect metadata from websites that can actually be more revealing than the content of the of what is being communicated. This is because information is used as a way to build an individual's profile, tracking everything from their favourite coffee shop to how much time they spend talking on the phone at work.
"it's a mistake to focus too heavily on comparisons between what the NSA can do and what European intelligence agencies can do."
Joris van Hoboken of the Institute for Information Law at the University of Amsterdam
Christopher Soghoian
"When you give your information, whether it's your personal emails or private photographs...to a company not in your country you really give up control of that and you allow a foreign government to access that, in addition to your own."
Additionally, governments have discouraged freedom in the media, placing restrictions on officials which prohibit media contact. For example, Donald trump has become extremely selective in who is allowed at his press conferences, banning outlets such as The New York Times and Buzzfeed.
Provisions such as the “insider threat program” require officials to report co-workers they find are participating in “suspicious behaviors.” This intimidates “inside sources” and thus they are reluctant to even release public information, for fear of termination from work or even prosecution. While Journalists have adopted elaborate practices to secure witnesses and their information, it is still quite difficult to acquire and this means that it is slow to reach the public.
