The Bill of Rights is a hallowed and sacred document. Too many, it represents the core of the democratic institutions that make America such a desireable place to live in. Indeed, the legal protections afforded by the Bill’s amendments were and still are to some degree, unprecedented in the world we live in. But, despite the lofty mythos surrounding the awesomeness of the Bill of Rights, there exists substantial controversy over the interpretation of some amendments. Namely, the 2nd and 4th amendments; the 2nd amendment assures the right to bear arms and maintain a well regulated militia, and the 4th amendment prohibits searches and seizures of property without probable cause. Many soon-to-be voters from Kent Denver’s student body agreed that,…
The argument, that searches and seizures of data ought to be protected as the property of the poster, is not a new one. In fact, the Supreme Court decision in Riley vs. California ultimately discerned that data did not fall under the right to be secure from unreasonable searches. If any valuable change should be made to the Constitution it should be a right to privacy. With NSA dragnet surveillance, drones that can comb the skies with no need for warrants and cell phone taps, the seemingly innocuous surveillance on the American public has undoubtedly invaded the personal data of every citizen at one point or another. The Patriot Act and recently the Freedom Act of 2015 have all perpetuated the rights of the government and its agencies to collect data recklessly while no such legislation exists to defend the common person. There needs to be provisions for data property in our list of rights or else every citizen may soon find that their bank accounts, digital photos, personal conversations are made public without their consent. Of course, this is a worst case scenario but it could inhibit other rights such as 1st amendment rights to free speech and press. If you do not feel comfortable sharing your views allowed because you are being watched, then your rights have been unequivocally…
