Give your opinion, whether you agree or not.

1. Discuss and explain the inherent conflicts associated with police as intelligence

gatherers.

In accordance with the Patriot Act, law enforcement agencies have been granted the authority to "monitor the web surfing activities of Americans" and can even order Internet service providers (ISPs) to provide over information about their users without a warrant. Whether or not this practice is following the constitutional rights granted to citizens of the United States of America is raised as a result of this situation. Some might argue that it is not the case, and that the threat of a terrorist attack justifies the violations of civil liberties that are being committed by these institutions. The distinction between intelligence collecting and public law enforcement has gotten increasingly blurred in recent years. What we have here is not freedom, but rather terror, and the fear of what is to come next. If the population of the United States allow the government to gradually erode their freedoms, they are choosing to live in a world where they are under the power of the government.

2. Explain the Wiretap Statute and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. Find and

cite a case in which a person(s) is charged with abuse of either the Wiretap Statute or the

Electronic Communications Privacy Act. Please give your opinion on whether you agree or

disagree with the verdict or charges. (Use Findlaw or other online search engines to find

case law).

The Wiretap Statute is a federal statute that is aimed at protecting the privacy of Americans as well as their conversations with other persons in their lives. People traditionally associate the term "wiretap" with someone listening in on their phone conversations; but, in today's world, communications are not just conducted over telephone lines; instead, cellphones and laptops provide the capacity to communicate through electronic methods. When illegally intercepted communications are monitored, the Wiretap Statute gives guidelines on criminal and civil sanctions that may be imposed.

While in transit, all wire and electronic communications, including emails and text messages, are protected under the Electronic Communication Privacy Act. In addition, the law outlines the standards for law enforcement to obtain search warrants, as well as the processes to be followed in the event that law enforcement observes any criminal actions while observing the transmission. As a result, it places constraints on the capacity to follow, observe, and listen in on these communications, which is in line with the Constitution's protections for an individual's right to privacy.