Martin 1 Natalie Martin Government Spying Government spying has been prevalent ever since the 1940s.

Operation Shamrock is the first national spying program, which collected telegraphic data entering or leaving the United States. It was initially used during World War II, but in 1975 the Nixon Administration used it to gather information on political rivalries. Also during this time the incident of Operation Chaos came into being by President Lyndon Johnson. This soon sparked a growing concern from citizens about the illegal domestic spying activity. Even till this day the National Security Agency has not stopped spying on U.S. citizens. Through social media, phone applications, and phone calls the government takes personal information from the user without notifying the person. Eventually users will stray away from known sites that are being observed by the government. Transparency and accountability are essential parts within a democracy. Citizens have the right to know that the government is working within the laws; otherwise it would be a police state. Furthermore, the government does not just spy to protect the country from potential danger, but also to cover up their mistakes or faults. Police stations gather information on the public, while the CIA is spying on the government itself, Congress, to conceal the withholding of documents. Who can the citizens trust? Slowly but surely the United States is turning into a dystopian society where ultimately freedom of speech and all rights will be taken away. The NSA is already disregarding the 4th amendment, which prohibits the Constitution. The phrase the home of the free and the land of the brave from the Star Spangled Banner is no longer true.