Debate Between the Needs of Homeland Security and Individual-Privacy Term Paper

Debate Between the Needs of Homeland Security and Individual-Privacy Expectations - Term Paper Example More specifically, the paper will examine the arguments concerning how needs of homeland security conflict with individual privacy expectations. Discussion According to Haulley (2005), the devastating September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks significantly impacted on nations around the world. Following the attacks, the United States government made the safety of the public and nation’s security a top priority. Consequently, the government passed legislation that allowed the police and security forces to have more surveillance powers. Linden (2007) asserts that this saw the introduction of new controls on the verification of identity and physical movements, which monitored movements along borders and airports. For instance, biometrics technology came into being; the introduction of such technology has given rise to debates concerning the need to balance individual liberties and protect the nation against threats from terrorists. As the department of homeland security works hard to ensure that it maintains security within the United States, it faces challenges in addressing issues of privacy. The department has not succeeded in ensuring that the issues concerning privacy are addressed comprehensively and assessed when making programmatic changes (Sauter & Carafano, 2005). Federal agencies working under the department of homeland security have engaged in data mining, which entails analyzing a lot of data to make known hidden relationships. The issue of data mining has faced uncertainty and controversy as it interferes with individual privacy. Department of homeland security does not assess the privacy risks posed by the tools used in data mining (Rabkin, 2005). According to Rabkin (2005), with the inception of the department of homeland security, issues of national security and privacy have become core in the war against terror. Whenever privacy comes in during a debate for national security, issues of whether one should keep their information private and be sa fe from attacks dominate the debate. As such, antiterrorism has set up an unreasonable equation, where people have to choose between the need for security and keep their personal information private. Both issues can be regarded as crucial as the constitution protects against the interference with personal privacy. Therefore, the government should determine the value of privacy and how it ought to be protected. In its efforts to preserve national security, the department of homeland security should not undermine the rights of individuals to keep personal information private. Debates ensue over the privacy challenges, which the department of homeland security faces, especially in reassessing the risks of privacy when changes came into being in developing a prescreening program in airlines (Sauter & Carafano, 2005). The computer-assisted system for prescreening of passengers, also known as Secure Flight, aims at assessing passengers before they board airlines in domestic flights. In su ch an instance, homeland security does not fully disclose how it will use private information. This is contrary to the privacy act of 1974, which states that the use of private information should be fully disclosed (Thaler, 2005). The Department of Homeland Security also faces the issue of making sure that considerations on privacy remain confidential in an environment where the sharing of information has become a norm. The enactment of the Intelligence