Espionage, according to the Merriman-Webster Dictionary, is defined as the " act of spying or using spies, to obtain political and military information " (Merriman, Webster, 2013). Acts of espionage have been utilized for hundreds of years, much to the surprise of the general public. Indeed, as inquisitive creature, it is in our nature to want to know what other people do or say, especially if it can potentially cease or cause harm to a large portion of the population. The National Security Agency, (often shortened or stylized as NSA) is responsible for collecting such information: global monitoring, and analyzing data for counterintelligence purposes. .
The general populous has always questioned the validity of NSA, as well as the ethical wherewithal of spying on other countries, but more so now, in American society, due to the compromise of millions of pieces of personal data. While it is a violation of our fourth amendment right to privacy, NSA spying does not hurt us, because it is the job of the NSA to dig deep into the dangerous and unknown actions of others, find crimes and evidence to back up suspicion. Not only can this keep us safe, but we could give other allies the information we obtained to thwart threats abroad within the borders of our allies, which could foster the creation of a global intelligence community. Unfortunately, the world is full people who wish to cause harm to others. Espionage allows us to prepare for any action we may need to take to ensure safety "no matter the cost. .
The National Security Agency's sole purpose is to collect information and observations to counteract crime. Some people think this is an invasion of privacy; however, the NSA stands by the belief that one shouldn't be fearful, unless they have a reason to be fearful of discovery. While we are not sure what our information is exactly for, besides what is being told to us, there have been fifty-four accounts where the NSA has prevented terrorist attacks around the world, including thirteen domestic threats in the United States.
