No Place to Hide by Greenwald

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of others. Privacy is a core condition of being a free person.” The fact that the NSA and US government are taking away privacy, a core condition of a free person, is ridiculous. The concept that our country preaches is being taken away from us constantly. In order to be a free person, you must have privacy. Obviously in the United States, people are not free because our own government is constantly spying on us.

Because of mass surveillance, the US government and the NSA has taken away all privacy of american citizens. On Page 169, Greenwald explains how the government has taken away privacy on the online world. “The Internet has long been heralded as an unprecedented instrument of democratization and liberalization, even emancipation. But in the eyes of the US government, this global network and other types of communication technology threaten to undermine American power. Viewed from this perspective, the NSA’s ambition to collect it all at last becomes coherent. It is vital that the NSA monitor all parts of the Internet and any other means of communication, so that none can escape US government control.” This is horrible that the US government, the preacher of democracy and freedom, constantly spies on what people think is a place where they can say whatever they want to whoever they want without getting in trouble. However, this is not the case. There is essentially no privacy in this world which is controlled by the government and the NSA.

As well as obliterating privacy, the US government and NSA also restrict freedoms. Greenwald describes this in various examples in the book. One example is on page 176. “This model of control has the great advantage of simultaneously creating the illusion of freedom. The compulsion to obedience exists in the individual’s mind. Individuals choose on their own to comply, out of fear that they are being watched. That eliminates the need for all the visible hallmarks of compulsion,and thus enables control over people who falsely believe themselves to be free.” The NSA and government make people believe they are free, but in reality, they aren’t. The American people fear for their safety and privacy due to the illegal spying by their own government. This is a huge restriction of freedom. Another example is on page 177. “The para-militarization of domestic police force was on full display in American cities, as police officers brought out weapons seen on streets of Baghdad to quell legally assembled and largely peaceful protesters.” The US government is making peaceful people feel scared of their thoughts and actions. The people of America shouldn’t be tricked into fear because of they are demonstrating their thoughts peacefully, which is completely legal. This is a major restriction of freedom which is wrong and abusing power.

The impact of the loss of privacy is catastrophic. The loss of privacy gives the authority to the government and the NSA to pretty much do whatever they want. They can rationalize any wrongdoings and make it seem like they are doing the right thing for national security and safety. An example of this is on pages 182-183. “But that radically misunderstands what goals drive all institutions of authority. Doing something wrong in the eyes if such institutions, encompasses far more than illegal acts, violent behavior, and terrorist plots. It extends to meaningful dissent with wrongdoing, or at least with a threat.” The government and the NSA think that whatever they don’t like people are doing is wrong. This is horrible and unfair to american citizens. The impact of the loss of privacy will lead to restricted people and an oppression like state of government that is very strict with what their citizens can and cannot do.

As we can see, Greenwald’s message describes how journalists are oppressed and taken advantage of by the government. Also, the government only allows the public to see what it wants, resulting in a lack of information, which leads to restricted freedoms.