GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE

I. Introduction

A. Introduction of the Topic

The government is responsible for preventing crime and other

illegal acts in society. They collect all the information about the

individual so that they will know their profile. Additionally, they control

the population of the country. However, when surveillance is applied

in the government, they must protect the person from anything that is

illegal and underneath observation although there are circumstances

where crime is still increasing nowadays since people are

unemployed, so they are forced to commit a crime. But, on the other

hand, government surveillance catches criminals, provides justice to

those victims, for people to be convenience, and decreases the

crime rate.

B. Background of the Topic

In terms of government surveillance, this is the collection of

observation, in particular of behavior, speech, and actions, by using

technology such as GPS tracking, Internet surveillance, surveillance

cameras, and wiretaps. This is used in monitoring the person in a visual

observation, and by that it will have an effective way of looking up for

the person as well as observing them. It will serve as the control or the
eyes of the government to see people who are doing bad or good. In

short, the government will judge them by observing or monitoring

them. It will assist the government in carrying out its mandate of

protecting society from harm caused by others.

"If you haven't done anything wrong, you have nothing to worry

about," they say. According to Wu et. al., (2022), this is a common

justification used by governments and other organizations to defend

their surveillance activities. On the surface, it appears to make sense &

beneficial; as most people are law-abiding citizens, they will not be

targeted for surveillance and it will have little effect on their lives, while

making their lives more comfortable and safer through the removal of

criminals. As a result, the government's employment of closed-circuit

television cameras in public places, warrantless wiretapping, and

library record checks has the potential to save lives from criminals and

terrorists while violating citizens' privacy only minimally.

Nowadays, Government surveillance has more advantages

upon using the technology considering that, by using technology it will

be easier for them to catch the criminals and people who have a bad

intention to other people however, the criminals have the same

advantage because they can also access the data of a person using
 the technology as well as it will be visible for them to see the privacy

or contact information to that specific person.

C. Thesis Statement

This argument is about government surveillance, which is used

to see those people who are criminals or terrorists inside the country.

The government will determine their actions by using technology. By

applying CCTV or cameras in many public places, it will help in

observing or monitoring their physical appearance as well as the data

information of the person who is involved in crimes. The government's

duty is to ensure the safety and security of each and every one.

Additionally, they will investigate such cases to produce evidence

that will stand as a strong reference to prove that the suspect is really

involved in this case and that the victim will receive justice.

II. Counter Argument

A. Summarize the counterclaims

Surveillance is important in terms of government considering

that it makes society feel secure and away from any kind of threat

from terrorists or criminals, and by utilizing technology, there is a big

opportunity for the government to be more advanced in devices

such as cameras, CCTV, facial recognition cameras, license plate

readers, and so on. These are the following things that are needed for

government surveillance in this generation that will be effective in

establishing the surveillance state.

B. Provide supporting information for counterclaims

According to the Center for Democracy & Technology (2022),

while most of this government monitoring is aimed at improving

national security and safety, there must be fair checks and balances

on governments' capacity to access, collect, and keep personal data

in order to ensure that everyone may seek information and express

them freely. Security and prosperity may be protected, but only

through well-balanced laws and policies that respect human rights.

C. Refute the counterclaims

However, in order to keep the data collected within the

government, the government itself must secure all the data and only for

the purposes of the government. They shouldn’t share any information

regarding that specific persona so that it can prevent privacy and safety

concerns, as they have a law regarding security that prohibits sharing any

information about the personal data gathered by the government.

 D. Give evidence for argument

As stated by the Data Privacy Philippines (2012), Republic Act No.

10173, otherwise known as the Data Privacy Act, is a law that seeks to

protect all forms of information, be it private, personal, or sensitive. It is

meant to cover both natural and juridical persons involved in the

processing of personal information. This means that the sharing of personal

data can be considered a crime based on the law.

III. The Argument

● Assertion of Claim No. 1

a. Government Surveillance should be implemented in this generation

because it is dangerous for people to go out in public without

thinking about their safety.

b. As stated by Debating Europe (2022), we must not be naive: the

world is a dangerous place. Terrorist groups like the so-called Islamic

State seek to kill a large number of people without regard for

ethical or moral issues. Foreign governments have shown a

readiness to use lethal weapons, such as radioactive and nerve

agents, to attack political opponents and dissidents within our

borders. Drug cartels have access to military-grade weapons and

are prepared to go to extremes to maintain power.

● Assertion of Claim No. 2

a. Terrorists are real and can be able to kill many people, so if

government surveillance is not implemented, how can we survive

without their support? The only thing we can survive is by the

government's power to protect us.

b. Based on the Debate Europe (2022), government surveillance has

effectively protected us. If you look at the research, you'll see that

surveillance does work. Government monitoring is continually

thwarting terrorist attacks. In 2017, the UK government revealed

that, owing in part to monitoring, it had been able to avert 13 terror

incidents in the preceding five years. Similar achievements have

been observed in France. Many lives have been saved as a result of

these efforts.

● Assertion of Claim No. 3

a. If you have nothing to hide, you are confident in showing the truth,

and if you really don’t do anything that is illegal, the government

itself will not punish you.

b. According to the Debate Europe (2022), the ordinary law-abiding

individual in a democratic state will be unaffected by government

monitoring measures. After all, the government is solely interested in

using these technologies to prevent terrorist acts and criminal

behavior. If you have nothing to conceal, why should someone be

 troubled? Despite what certain conspiracy theories imply, the

government in our free democracies will not detain you if you

haven't done anything illegal. There are checks and balances in

place, and intelligence and law enforcement actions are

monitored. This is precisely why we have formed oversight

committees!

IV. Conclusion

● Restating the Argument

In this generation, wherein terrorists and criminals can access

technology, government surveillance should be strictly advanced in

technology so that they have power over the terrorists and criminals. They

should implement the upgrade of their devices that are used to prevent

the safety and security of each and every one. As well as they should be

kept only within the government's uses of the data information of a

person.

● Providing Plan of Action

In every country in the world, they should be able to stand with their

human rights and continue to establish a law regarding the rights of

everyone, considering that everyone deserves to be treated fairly with the

power of the law. Government surveillance will protect all the people by
 fighting against terrorists and criminals. However, they will prove that their

duty is to prevent peace and security within the country. Surveillance is a

reality of life; therefore, make privacy one of their human rights.

References:

● https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/ethics-of-surveillance/ethics.html

● https://cdt.org/area-of-focus/government-

surveillance/#:~:text=This%20includes%20law%20enforcement%20agencies,readers%20or%20facial%20recogni

tion%20cameras.

● https://www.privacy.com.ph/learn-data-privacy-compliance/data-privacy-

faqs/#:~:text=Republic%20Act%20No.,the%20processing%20of%20personal%20information.

● https://www.debatingeurope.eu/focus/arguments-for-and-against-government-surveillance/#.YoxuBz1BzIU

● https://www.economist.com/open-future/2019/12/13/surveillance-is-a-fact-of-life-so-make-privacy-a-human-

right