TERRORISM COUNTER MEASURES VS CIVIL LIBERTIES
The threats posed by terrorist attacks have always been a hazard. As such, this is because of death risks which are integral components of such attacks. Some years before, terrorist attacks were not as acute as they have turned in the recent years. The practice is becoming sophisticated and more cynical year after another (Gross). Tackling terrorism attacks has posted some other challenges which have led to more harm to the ordinary citizens being protected. One of these challenges being the violation of civil liberties by the government, which should not be the case. I mean, how often we have experienced government monitoring of electronic communications across the whole country just because of a small terror attack and eventually the impacts coming later to innocent citizens by losing their property because of such an incidences.
At the current world were mistrust has built pillars and corrupted people’s minds, it is better to protect the civil liberties in the face of terror especially when the countermeasures involve practices like government monitoring of electronic communications which have turned around to be more harmful than the terror itself (Sheldon). In my trust, this is in consideration of the fact that this and other approaches have been taken advantage of by people with personal interests to achieve them. Allowing such violations of civil liberties would result in even terrorist attacks being stage managed for individual interests.
It is a good idea for the government to protect its citizens against terrorism but to some extent. For instance, ensuring security across the borders and residential areas would be a good idea rather than extending to the point of monitoring all the electronic communications across the country (felix). Individual information privacy should be upheld because it is meant to be private. People exchange some crucial information which may be tempting even to the government officials because they are people just like any other. So, as far as the government strives to protect its citizens against terrorism, it should limit its scope.
Works cited
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Felix, Stalder. Privacy is not the Antidote to Surveillance.” Surveillance & Society 1.1. 2012.
Gross, Emanuel. “Legal aspects of tackling terrorism: The balance between the right of a democracy to defend itself and the protection of Human rights.” Uclaj and foreign Aff (2013): 89.
Sheldon, Nahmod. Civil rights and civil liberties litigation: the law of. Vol.1. Shepards/McGraw-Hill. Shepards/McGraw-Hill, 2014.