National Security First: A Case Study Of The Disclosure Of Prism Program

America has always acclaimed the importance of democracy and liberty, which were definitely secured first in the Declaration of Independence “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that they are among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Except for the above mentioned basic civil rights, the right to privacy, which is closely related to individual liberty, and the individual creativity and independence, is protected by the American constitution and specific laws.The disclosure of the secret Prism program, by Edward Snowden, shocked the whole world. According to the documents, the U.S. government has been tapping into nine world leading Internet companies. The U.S. government immediately becomes the target of public criticism. Instead of apologizing for the surveillance, the U.S. government defends its program in the name of protecting national security from terrorism. Both national security and civil privacy are protected by the Constitution. But once they conflict with each other, which the government will choose first? The thesis will focus on this topic.The thesis consists of three chapters. Chapter One illustrates the definitions of privacy and the right to privacy, and that the Constitution protects civil privacy. Then this chapter argues that American citizens from different fields are against the government surveillance. Chapter Two introduces the great importance of national security and that national security is also protected by the Constitution. Chapter Three illustrates the different results of the Watergate Scandal and the disclosure of the Prism Program, and concludes that the U.S. government put the national security in the first place. The priority of national security cannot be shaken. The U.S. Government acclaims the American system best embodies the concept of democracy and freedom. However, in the Internet era, personal privacy being greatly compressed, it deserves deep thought that when the national security and civil privacy conflict with each other, the government always chooses national security first.