My concerns with privacy on the internet stems from an interest in computers from a young age and through a desire to retain a private life free from spying eyes.  In the past few years it has become increasingly obvious that the U.S. government has been spying on their citizens.  Inalienable human rights were a big concern during the American Revolution.  In the modern era, the ability to obtain a decent amount of privacy is an inalienable human right.  Our generation grew up with the internet in our lives and it has become so largely ingrained in everyday life that large amounts of information gets stored on the internet. Even if you think this information is protected, it is not.  Through laws like the USA PATRIOT Act and The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act the U.S. government has enabled themselves to legally get private information from you without you even knowing. I deeply value my privacy and I firmly believe no one should have unauthorized access to my information.  My sources come from law professionals, technology experts, and ex-government employees.  Through their analysis, I become qualified to answer why the government and big companies should not have access to your data.

The first source comes from the Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal and it was written by Maureen S. Dorney.  Dorney received a juris doctor degree from the Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley in 1990 and she received a bachelor degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1979.  Dorney's article explores the vast framework of laws and statutes throughout the federal government and state governments that address privacy concerns. The article also looks at how foreign laws, such as privacy regulations in Germany, affect how businesses work in the United States. Finally, it looks at how U.S. citizens and companies deal without any comprehensive privacy legislation.  Throughout this article you can tell that the author values increased privacy regulations for U.S. citizens and companies.  It is focused on providing comprehensive information about U.S. laws and how they affect the consumer. The article specifically points out how these laws interact with the internet and the data collection that takes place on the internet (Dorney).

The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law presented What the Government does with Americans' Data by Rachel Levinson-Waldman.  Rachel Levinson-Waldman  graduated from the University of Chicago Law in 2002.  She worked as a clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals and in the Department of Justice. She currently serves as Senior Counsel to the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program.  The publication claims that there are major problems with how the government collects and retains data on U.S. citizens.  The article uses information gathered by the Federal Data Mining Reporting Act of 2007, which requires government agencies to report to congress about their data mining activities, to make these claims.  The article values tighter regulations on government agencies data mining habits and retention policies.  The author provides several suggestions that could help Americans protect their data and their privacy (Levinson-Waldman).

The New York Times writer Steve Lohr shows just how a consumer's privacy disappears online. Steve Lohr has been writing and editing for The New York Times for decades and he has been writing technology articles since the early 1990s.  In 2013, he was part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.  The article analyzes different methods that information collected on the internet can lead to the discovery of various private information such as sexuality and someone's social security number. He explains how the information posted on social networks can be used to gather information about you and your presence on other websites.  The articles main purpose was to spread information about data collection and how your online presence can affect your life.  It values privacy and the article wants its readers to realize that their privacy is in jeopardy online (Lohr).

In the modern era it has become easier and easier for people around the world find out almost whatever they want about you from what you post online.  People put their whole lives online, even aspects that they wish to keep private can found by someone with the right tools.  The government is an even bigger culprit of putting their noses in other people's  business under the guise of national security.  All of the sources presented come to the conclusion that there is a problem with privacy in the U.S. Until I did the research, I did not realize exactly how much of our lives were on display.  They provide different methods for solving these problems such as reducing our footprint online or tighter government regulations.  My views and ideas on privacy have only been reinforced from my research.  My research question could be refined into a more direct question that can be more thoroughly argued.

