The Fourth of July is a celebration of American democracy. It is an ode to our Founders, who fought for the freedoms guaranteed to us by our Bill of Rights, including protection from “unreasonable search and seizure” by the government. Today, when every American is under mass surveillance by law enforcement, it is clear that our liberty is in jeopardy.
NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden gave us concrete proof that our government is spying on us — all of us. Thanks to his disclosures, we know that the government has been quietly amassing data on all of our communications since 2006. The government tells us not to worry, that this is just 'metadata,' but this information is incredibly revealing. It tells the government everything about our movements, our habits and our associations. Are we church-goers, drinkers, gun-owners or hospital outpatients? Are we members of a political group, do we go to the gym, are we faithful to our spouses? The answers to all of these questions can be found in the data the government has been compiling on us.
Such indiscriminate, widespread surveillance violates the spirit of American democracy and the Fourth Amendment, of which Massachusetts has long been a champion. Our technology has left our privacy law in the dust, and now is the time to fix it. We need to restore our governmental checks and balances in this country, and we can start in our backyard. Because this is not just a national issue. In Massachusetts, law enforcement officials do not need a probable cause warrant before they seize our phone and internet records, or track our location via our electronic devices. We must demand that our legislature require judicial oversight for such practices. Our records are private, and as Americans, we have a right to our privacy.
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On July 9th, the ACLU of Massachusetts will testify in support of the Electronic Privacy Bill at the State House, urging our government to preserve our most basic freedoms. We need to remind our legislature that the government cannot spy on its people without a very good reason. In the spirit of our Founders and in celebration of the Fourth of July, we must reclaim our democracy.
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