The United States government stands by the personal information it has collected from its citizens. Americans are increasingly “aware of these slowly eroding privacy walls” (Hirsh) and more than half of those surveyed admit to being concerned about “the global accumulation of personal information about them” by […] law enforcement, government, […] and others. groups”, although “they accept it as an inevitable modern phenomenon” (Hirsh). The question is, how far is too far to trust the government with the collection, proper storage and use of this information? Studies show that “Americans believe that businesses, governments, social media sites, and other groups access their most personal information without their consent” (Hirsh). People should have the option to admit or deny access to their personal information. The government has no right to use whatever information it wants for whatever purposes it wants. Michael Hayden, director of the NSA for seven years, says: “Even I agree that it's one thing for Google to know too much, because they're not putting me in jail. It’s another matter for the government, because they can coerce me” (Hirsh). The ability of the United States government to collect information about its citizens and residents should be limited by the type of information it can collect, how it can acquire it, and what it can use it for. In order to fulfill its duty to ensure the safety of its law-abiding citizens and to apprehend those who might cause them harm, the government must have access to certain information. In fact, many blame the crackdown on intelligence operations for allowing the 2001 terrorist attacks to take place (Cooper). It would be foolish not to strengthen security after such...... middle of paper ......ng Viewpoints in context. Internet. August 15, 2013. “Cybercriminals use personal information on social networking sites to commit crimes. » Cybercrime. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Views. Rep. from “Online Exposure: Social media, mobile phones and scams can threaten your safety. » Opposing viewpoints in context. Internet. August 15, 2013. “Fourth Amendment.” The free dictionary. Legal dictionary. Farlex. March 18, 2014. Hirsh, Michael and Sara Sorcher. “Edward Snowden is completely wrong.” National Journal (2013). Opposing viewpoints in context. Internet. August 15, 2013. Lee, Timothy B. “Smartphones Pose Security Risks.” » Smartphones. Ed. Romain Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Views. Rep. from “My smartphone, the spy: protecting privacy in the mobile age”. 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Internet. August 15. 2013.