I've seen it all over the media. NSA, that. NSA, that. Discussions about government surveillance have sparked some controversy among the American people. As an American citizen myself, I'm a little concerned that government officials are tracking my every move on a computer. Again, this is all aimed at preventing terrorist attacks, such as the horrific 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers, from happening again – or so they say. Some skeptics believe there is a dark side to our government, a side that was recently exposed by Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor. According to Justin Brookman, the government is collecting data from companies that already have large amounts of data from users like us (“Privacy in a World of Persistent Surveillance”). But what will the NSA do with all the miscellaneous data it has collected from us? What kind of information did they find? And what about foreigners residing in the United States: how does the government treat them? Where to draw the line? How much is too much? September 11, 2001 was one of the darkest days the United States has ever known. It was coordinated by nineteen terrorists, all thirsty for revenge for the changes brought by the Americans to the Middle East. Since then, our government has developed policies that strengthen our security, such as the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act was signed just weeks after 9/11 by President George W. Bush. It expanded the power of government to detect terrorism more quickly and effectively (MacDonald). Its goals include increased funding for the FBI Technical Support Center, increased employment of FBI translators, increased duration of FISA surveillance of non-U.S. citizens, and access to certain business records for papers. ......Fight against terrorism. Np: np, March 2004. PDF. Savage, Charlie. “CIA is said to pay AT&T for call data.” New York Times. Np, November 7, 2013. Web. December 16, 2013. .Schmitt, Eric. “Leak of Qaeda plot undermined US intelligence.” New York Times. Np, September 29, 2013. Web. December 16, 2013. .Strickland, Lee. “Without civil liberties, internal security will collapse.” University of Maryland. Np, December 23, 2005. Web. December 10, 2013. .Wainstein, Kenneth L. “Protect America Act Needed to Counter Terrorism.” National security. Ed. David M. Haugen. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. At issue. Opposing viewpoints in context. Internet. December 10. 2013.