Quotation:
“He said the Fourth Amendment was designed to protect against trespassing. But wiretapping doesn’t involve any necessary trespass: they didn’t enter Olmstead’s home to attach anything to wires; they attached the wiretap after the wires left Olmstead’s home. There was no trespass, therefore no violation of the Fourth Amendment,” (pg. 156).
Comment:
This quote explains a situation where a man was found guilty of producing and distributing alcohol during the prohibition. Law enforcement claimed that they found the evidence using wiretaps. This was interesting to me because this type of technology had been recently developed. They acquired this information using unreasonable searches and seizures. The main point being proven by this quote is the relationship with technology at the time. The argument of obstructing the Fourth Amendment was based on “searching” his house, but the rebuttal was that the search was done “legally”. The wiretap was done on wires that led to Olmstead’s house, not technically inside it. This relates to all of the loopholes used by the government and law enforcement. While, yes, this catches more criminals, but it also violates many of the original freedoms in the amendments. This is still a progressing issue. People are becoming aware that nothing is private once it is put onto any technological platform. Even text messages can be accessed by anyone who has the knowledge to do so. This violates individual privacy. This relates to government power. They use certain devices to gain access to information they need. They will find ways to get around any laws put into place to protect individual privacy. While this is important to keep a level of peace, it does not give people a sense of security in their daily lives. Personally, I am uncomfortable with the level of invasion of the government, and people in general.
Question:
Does new technology ultimately mean less privacy for individuals?
