National Security is enforced in order to protect the country and Privacy Rights are enforced for individual’s rights. The two are constantly being involved with one another in legislation.

What is National Security?

National Security revolves around a broad definition that the nation needs to be protected from external dangers through armed force and guarding state secrets. It also includes the defense of protecting economic, geopolitical, and other interests. National Security encompasses the international systems and non-military ideas of national security. International systems of security include collective defense and security, global security, and international law. These securities integrate the perspective of defending and supporting member states as well as with other nations globally, if they are under attack. Non-military ideas of national security incorporate political, economic, homeland, environmental and cyber security.

Moreover, there are threats that National Security specifically aims to prevent or mitigate the cause. These include terrorism, espionage, cyber threats, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and pandemics like COVID-19. After the 9/11 attacks the Department of Homeland security was created to strengthen anti-terrorism tasks according to Business Insider. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security is working closely with multiple agencies, like Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to slow the spread of the virus.

What is the Right to Privacy?

Even though the U.S Constitution does not specifically outline privacy rights, they are emphasized somewhat in the Bill of Rights. The first amendment protects freedom of speech while the fourth amendment prohibits unreasonable searches. Through a variety of Supreme Court cases like Roe v. Wade and Kelly v. Johnson, it has been ruled that these amendments grant certain rights like privacy. Government intrusion on privacy includes collecting private information of citizens through a variety of databases when suspicious activities arise. This right incorporates to not have one’s personal matters disclosed. In addition, it includes the right against immoderate government intrusion in personal decisions.

How do the Two Interact?

As our technology evolves, so too must our rights to privacy, there is a spike of increase in the interests of Americans regarding their rights to privacy. Citizens are becoming more weary about the accessibility of their personal information and how the government could use it.

According to TNW, the “Government has the power to audit our tax returns, to prosecute and imprison us, to grant or deny licenses to do business, and many other things.” Therefore, due to the power the government could have over individuals there are also additional statutes that regulate the collection of an individual’s information. Recently, the Carpenter v. United States case ruled that the government must retrieve a warrant in order to access a person’s cell phone location data. According to the ACLU, the Supreme Court’s decision contains one of the most critical rulings in regards to technological privacy.