Is America in a Privacy Crisis?

Recently the 110^th United States Congress changed the FISA law to benefit the government in their fight against terrorism. The Bush Administration has unprecedented amounts of permission to eavesdrop on U.S. citizens thanks to that law. Anyone can be considered a 'terrorist' and go under surveillance, especially if they communicate with anyone outside of the United States. Just by writing an email to someone in another country you can invite the government to intrude on your private communications. But this isn't the only thing endangering privacy.

There are ever increasing amounts of video surveillance in public places. Most areas of the country have implemented traffic cameras to catch speeders- while also capturing innocent citizens enjoying what they think is a private moment in their car. Municipalities around the country put cameras in Public Square in an effort to combat street crime. Businesses are putting cameras inside and out in an effort to stop theft. Most people accept these measures as necessary. Of course, there are some ordinary Americans who see nothing wrong with invading another person's privacy.

A young man with a cell phone camera can stealthily take pictures under young women's skirts. A curious neighbor thinks nothing of video taping the inside of someone's home. The boss at work hunts down employees who participate in online forums- on their own time. Many people have no qualms about posting someone else's private information online- pictures, names, addresses, and even home phone numbers. Not even children are immune if someone thinks they can get a cheap laugh.

Americans' fascination with all things celebrity has led to people doing "whatever it takes" to get that one picture worth millions of dollars. Anyone with any amount of celebrity risks their private moments being strewn across magazines and websites. They can't enjoy a normal day in the park for fear of being accosted by someone with a camera. And the public feasts on this. Many people believe the private lives of celebrities are game because the celebrities "put themselves in the public eye". Privacy of the individual and his family is unimportant. Increasingly average Americans are losing respect for any type of privacy- including their own.

With blogs and video sharing sites such as YouTube, many people are more than happy to open themselves up for public scrutiny. They tell all and let the world judge them. There is no desire or need for privacy among these people. They look at the cameras all around them and smile. They laugh at the idea that someone somewhere is reading their mail. Their neighbors don't have to sneak to get a glimpse into their lives because they bare all. They are an every growing number of Americans and they see no privacy crisis.