The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated..."
Sadly, the protections this amendment grants to American citizens are quickly and quietly being taken away. The most glaring example of privacy intrusion today is the Patriot Act. With a name like that, it can't be bad, right? Wrong.
The law was passed hastily after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It passed with an overwhelming margin in both the House and Senate.
Under the Patriot Act, the federal government can search your medical and library records and enter your house and confiscate property without telling you. It also gives the federal government the ability to wiretap phones and track Internet usage. Designed to protect America from terrorism, this law could easily be misused against innocent people.
In addition to the Patriot Act, the government is funding data-mining projects that include software capable of gathering information on citizens based on their passport applications, car rentals, airline-ticket purchases and credit card transactions, as well as education, medical and housing records.
Congress eliminated the Pentagon effort under Adm. John Poindexter called Total Information Awareness because of an outcry from privacy advocates. However, some of Poindexter's projects continue.
Congress left undisturbed a $64 million research program being run by Advanced Research and Development Activity, according to the Associated Press. In fact, Congressional officials will not say which Poindexter programs were killed and which were transferred, but insiders told the AP that there are still 18 data-mining projects being funded.
Airport security is another area of concern to privacy advocates. According to Fox News, a program called US-VISIT already operates in 115 airports and 14 seaports. It uses biometrics technology to identify people by their biological traits.
In other words, next time you go to the airport, you might have to submit to iris or retinal scanning and fingerprinting. There might also be face-recognition software in use. Sen. Joseph Lieberman was so disturbed by all of this that he wrote a letter to Tom Ridge last month citing concern over the biometrics technology.
Soon, we will be to the point where the government can monitor everything you do. Through GPS and cellular technology, it would not be hard for the government to track where you go in your car or with your cell phone.
Why does all this matter? Imagine a world like George Orwell's "1984." Winston could not make a move without Big Brother knowing about it. Freedom will be a lost virtue.
Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Americans should hold the federal government accountable and ensure our Fourth Amendment rights are preserved.
-- Wes Provine is a history senior. His column appears every other Thursday. He can be reached at dailyopinion@ou.edu.
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