The Information Technology Behind the Fight against TerrorismThe Information Technology Behind the Fight against Terrorism is saving American lives. In the weeks following September 11, President Bush authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to conduct a plethora of surveillance activities inside the United States, which had been prohibited by law and agency policy for decades before. When the NSA spy program was first made public by the New York Times in 2005, President Bush admitted to a small aspect of the program – what the administration called a terrorist surveillance program – in which the NSA monitored, without a warrant, the communications of between 500 and 1,000 people in the United States suspected of having links to Al-Qaeda. The current head of the NSA, General Keith Alexander, tolerates the collection of phone records, Internet searches and emails of Americans nationwide. Alexander encourages the program, saying "it is necessary to combat domestic terrorism and was helpful in investigating the Boston Marathon bombings and plots against U.S. diplomatic sites over the summer." » (“NSA chief defends American espionage”). The NSA's capabilities to spy on low-income Americans, the use of collected data, and the contribution of the PATRIOT Act are all factors that contribute to the NSA's effectiveness in preventing terrorist attacks. According to the leading authority on data mining, Dr. Gregory Piatetsky-Shapiro “If the NSA only has the metadata – who is calling who – that is enough to determine the status of people,” “You don't necessarily need of the conversation if you have the network” (Piatetsky-Shapiro) Over the past 20 years, information technology has advanced more than ever before in our history. This rapid increase has brought a... middle of paper ...... questions will be asked as they should regarding the laws of the land. The technologies behind the many agencies such as the NSA and FBI that secure our borders both physical and virtual become more important every year. As our country continues to promote democracy and support uprisings in countries around the world, Works Cited Gilbert, F. (2013). DEMYSTIFYING THE UNITED STATES PATRIOT ACT. Journal of Internet Law, 16(8), 3-7. The New York Times reports that the NSA uses collected data to map a person's social connections. (nd). Canadian Press, The, International Business, T. (June 12, 2013). NSA and Big Data: How technological innovation powers PRISM. International Business Times. Investor's Business, D. (September 26, 2013). NSA chief defends US espionage. Investor Business Daily. p. A02.Stewart, B. (nd). Don't play games with American security. The United States today.