Governments have listened in to telephone conversations, both by wiretapping and by monitoring
the radio transmissions of cell phones, for example, and also intercepted e-mail messages. These actions have
usually been justified as necessary for national security, or required as part of an ongoing investigation.
In the United States, a citizen??™s right to privacy is inferred from the Fourth Amendment which insures, ???the
right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and
seizures ...??? That??™s all there is. Privacy is not a right on the same plane as the rights to life, liberty, and property.
In fact, there is a tension between the individual??™s right to privacy and the needs of others to know about
the individual. After all, a person needs to know certain things about another before deciding whether or not to
trust the other in a business or personal relationship. For instance, have you ever ???Googled??? a person with whom
you were considering a first date? Governments enforce privacy rights in a balance between the individual??™s
desire for privacy and the needs of others to know.
We usually think of our e-mail and instant messaging conversations as personal correspondence, but think
again, if you communicate in such ways at work.
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