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JulianBell
Mr.Mendez
SocialScience
23December2015
GovernmentAction:Microsoftsuesgovernmentforsecretsearches
In recent news, the Microsoft Corporation has filed a lawsuit against the federal
government for violating customer privacy. More specifically, as the article states, The
company accuses the federal government of adopting a widespread, unconstitutional policyof
looking through Microsoft customers' data and forcing the company to keep quiet about it,
sometimes forever. This isquiteconcerning,consideringtheothercasesinwhichgovernment
agents have been gathering citizen personal information (NSA). According to the United
States constitution, private property is protected and this includes personal information that

others may be denied the use of. Over a span of 18 months, the federal government has
approved approximately 2,600 secret searches of Microsoft customers. The Department of
Justice is currently reviewing the case. The article further states, One of the most basic
promises of our Constitution is that the government must notify you when it infringes your
rights. For years, the government hasskirtedthatobligationbyseekingoursensitivedatafrom
techcompanieswithoutprovidingnotice.
Is the government ever justified in infringing upon the constitutional rights of its
citizens? What if measures were being taken to prevent a crime or terroristic act? Questions
like these will no doubt continue to be debated and answered as time progresses. Perhaps,
amendments to the current constitution will even be made in ordertoallowthegovernmentto

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continue these practices. Or the government could continue issuing these secret searches.
Either way, it has clearly been demonstrated by government officials that the constitutional
rightsofitscitizenscaninfact,beconsideredsecondary.

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WorksCited
TheCompanyAccusestheFederalGovernmentofAdoptingaWidespread."MicrosoftSues
GovernmentforSecretSearches."
CNNMoney
.CableNewsNetwork,n.d.Web.5May2016.
"SummaryofConstitutionalRights,PowersandDutie."
ConstitutionSociety
.N.p.,n.d.Web.5
May2016.