can you share a personal experience where your right to privacy was taken away by the government?

Question

besides airport security.

and entering theme parks or sports stadiums.

Answer 1

I hope I don't get fired or arrested for this.

I work in a library where the police came in and asked for the records of about 50 patrons. They wanted everything these people had checked out since they had gotten a library card. The reason... some one had snuck a library book into the jail and gave it to one of the inmates. The book was a western by Louis L'Amour.

It had happened about two weeks ago so there was no reason for the police to need records 7 or 8 years back. It was very scary because they didn't have a warrant so our directer refused. Then they came back a few hours later citing some patriot act law. Still our directer said no. So the came back with a warrant that limited them to 20 names and 2 years back.

While this wasn't a violation of my personal rights, it definitely was a violation of some one's. Local government violation, not federal.

Answer 2

No, it's private.

But seriously, airport "security" is a bad one, mostly because all it really does is ensure that when hijackers try to take a plane, the passengers will be unarmed and unable to fight back.

Income tax forms, student loan eligibility verification, and driver licensing also come to mind. In a privacy sense, though, I haven't been bothered too much yet, because I don't have any secrets that the government is likely to find interesting.

Answer 3

Sure can. When I marched against the Iraq War long before it started. Our pictures were taken by the police. The police squads pulled up and an officer started taking individual pictures of us. It was a peaceful assembly but hey, I guess that's how this new form of fascism is playing out.

Answer 4

My phone provider is AT&T. My phone calls have been tracked and are now in a database.

My internet provider is keeping records of websites I visit, at the request of the attorney general.

A political group I am a member of was investigated by Homeland Security and a mole was put in the group. (We're pretty benign.)

Answer 5

Every time I have to go through airport security. They look in my bag. They look in my purse. They make me take off my shoes. They make me go through a metal detector to make sure I am not carrying anything with metal on it. Those are invasions of privacy, even though they were meant for security purposes.

Answer 6

Ya I was arrested for minding my own business in the bushes outside a girls residence at Swimsuit Model College.

Answer 7

A background check for a security clearance. They really dig into your personal life for a top secret clearance.

Answer 8

Yes, when the veterans administration employee took my personal information and the information of 27.5 million other vets home, and the laptop was stolen.

Answer 9

Internet Service providers will soon be keeping track of where you go and what you do online, and give that info to the government should they inquire about it. Soon it will be just like China.

Answer 10

so... it's ok to make laws that could violate rights, as long as it's not my rights or someone I know's rights that are being violated?

... if they were violated... they aren't probably going to be on the internet right now... probably in a jail somewhere...

Republicans seem to jump down a slippery slope head first? You should watch that... you may split your head open before you know it...