Activity 2- Getting Ready to Read

1.   Do you think that this could happen in the United States? Why or why not?

I believe that a similar situation could definitely happen in the United States. The US has the technology necessary to carry it out. There are already several agencies involved in government mass surveillance projects in order to keep track of American citizens.

       Some examples of these projects include:

• Carnivore: a system carried out by the FBI designed to monitor email & electronic communications
• Fairview: a mass surveillance program directed at foreign mobile phone users
• Main Core: a personal & financial database storing information of millions of U.S. citizens believed to be threats to national security
• Mainway: NSA database containing metadata for hundreds of billions of phone calls made through the four largest telephone carriers in the United States

While it is a possibility, I don't feel that US government would be very concerned with something as small as the lyrics of a song when there are much larger issues to be dealt with.

2.   If this happened, what would you do? Would you change your communication habits? Would you be more concerned about privacy?

If a scenario like this happened to me I would probably take some caution and be more aware of my methods of communication as well as the content of my conversations over the phone or even on social media.

3.   If you got a call from the FBI or if agents knocked on your door, what would you say? What would you do? How would you feel? Would you be scared? Would it change your life?

If the FBI called of came to my house, naturally I would be pretty nervous and very paranoid because I am aware of the power and authority that they have. I would just cooperate with them to avoid coming off as suspicious or guilty and explain my side of the story to prove that I am not causing any harm. My reaction would entirely depend on what they tell me would happen how they chose to handle the problem. That would also determine where or not my life would be changed this situation.

4.   Would you call this situation “Orwellian”? Why or why not?

I would absolutely consider this situation "Orwellian". It clearly illustrates a totalitarian government where all aspects of life are controlled, limiting citizen's freedom and privacy.

Partner's Response:

I asked my partner if he could see a scenario like this occurring in the United States. He felt that something similar could definitely be attempted by the government by looking back at previous incidents. However, my partner believed that something like this could not be carried out. Assuming American citizens value their freedom, enough people would come together to fight for their constitutional rights and prevent further action.