NSA can follow nearly everything you do online in real-time

Now, I'm not trying to start an argument by any means, just a friendly debate.

I'm not laying blame solely on the NSA, I never said that once. The NSA is a government agency, and that government is what I'm referring to. It's my firm belief that our military shouldn't be anywhere in times where we're not needed. Everything that has brought us to this war in the middle east was because of our military and political presence in other countries.

However, I can't see how you could label Snowden as a traitor. The only thing he has done was tell us that our government (the NSA, more accurately) has been quite capable of spying on us and are collecting data on US citizens as well as foreign people. Now, it's debatable on what data they're accessing, but in the end it's about their ability to just find out everything about who you are in a search and a few clicks. I'm sorry, but I don't support that by any means, regardless if we're at war (which was VERY much avoidable) or not.

THAT is breaching our constitutional rights. Our 4th amendment is effectively worthless in this day and age where congress votes in almost whatever law is beneficial to their interests.

How is it untrue? There are not provisions in the constitution that allows them unwarranted seizure of one's property (data), nor are they allowed to an unwarranted search (what you've been looking up on google, etc.), so I don't quite understand what you're trying to say. There are newly passed laws that allow such activity, however, they directly bypass the 4th amendment. It seems people confuse laws with the constitution.

 

Not trying to argue either. :thumbup:

It could be argued that anything that is transmitted on the internet comes under the "plain view" allowance of the 4th. It's different if they have to hack email accts., wiretap phones, etc... Simply intercepting information and viewing it though, could easily be considered out in plain view for them to see. The information doesn't have to be discovered by accident. There are other exclusions to the 4th as well. Searches at an airport, for example. so, it's not just all encompassing with no exceptions.

 

Isn't that because of the "international ground" type-of-thing, and has it's own jurisdiction as part of international treaties and agreements and what-nots?

Like if you are a certain distance off shore and therefore in international water, you can gamble, shoot guns, get monkeys to do a knife fight etc.

Swear airports have this, but I stand to be corrected.

 

No, it has nothing to do with whether it's an international airport or not.