It is only natural to compare how other countries treat their citizens as a way of measuring what levels of freedom we enjoy ourselves and although the United States might afford far more personal protection and liberal laws than some parts of the world it could be argued that our rights have diminished from where they were in past.
If you like to keep up to date with legal developments you might be a regular visitor to sites like lawalways, and you may well have noticed that a raft of new national security powers has been stealthily approved by Washington over the last few years.
Watershed moments in history such as 911 created a climate where civil liberties have been redefined and reduced in the name of national security.
Let’s take a look at some fundamental changes to our human rights that have taken place over the last decade or so which highlight why some believe we are not as free as we all think.
No end date
There is no disputing that 911 was a shocking moment in history and the threat of terrorism has to be taken seriously, but this has led to more draconian measures where someone accused of terrorism can be held indefinitely.
We all want to feel safe and no one will argue with the need to detail genuine terrorists and bring them to justice. However, sweeping changes in the law now mean that the government now has the power to remove legal protections from citizens entirely at its own discretion.
Searches and surveillance
Another area of civil liberties that has been seriously impacted by changing laws is the matter of warrantless surveillance.
It has been the case for some time now that the government can carry out surveillance and searches on an individual without the need to obtain a warrant to do so, provided the President orders it.
This sweeping power was actually introduced back in 2001 and was subsequently extended in 2011 by the Obama administration.
Citing national security as a viable reason, the government can order organizations to relinquish personal details on you without telling you that it has obtained this information.
Monitoring your movements
Digital technology makes it easy to organize your life online but it also means that the government has the ability to monitor your movements without the need to obtain a court order or citing any other justification than national security concerns.
It is commonplace to see the use of GPS tracking systems to monitor your movements without the government needing to seek permission in the first place if they decide that you are a person of interest that they wish to target.
The general response from government departments in response to these invasive actions is that we live in difficult and troubling times where the authorities have to take proactive action in order to keep citizens safe.
The threat of terrorism is still very real and ongoing, of course, but there is little doubt that our human rights have been diminished in the name of national security.
