Republic

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the person or things to be seized.

— Amendment IV, United States Constitution

If you have nothing to hide, then why do you need to protect your privacy?

Privacy protects us from abuse of power. Even if we have done nothing wrong, we are still entitled to its protection. Privacy is a basic human right, a right that is fundamental to the ideas of freedom and liberty that were made law by the authors of our Constitution.

Mass surveillance without proper oversight is a favored tool of tyrants. Once we have accepted this arrangement, and no longer speak up in defense of our rights, all is lost. The reasons we acquiesce do not matter. The principles of our foundation cannot stand if we do not defend them.

This is our defining debate of the 21st century.

We have, so far, made an awful mess of it. And we have a lot to answer for.

But we have been here before and prevailed. Another Church committee is possible, if the people will it. Hoover's FBI is distinguished from today's NSA only by capability, not ambition.

Be a philosopher. Be a journalist. Be a pain in the ass. Question everything.

Be a citizen.

Be a citizen of the United States, who recognizes the rights enshrined in the Constitution and our responsibility to the world.

Name the transgression. Name the reasons it is wrong. Point to the unlawful. The immoral. The person who deflects those questions; who says you have no right to ask them in the first place; that is the person who is hiding a damaging secret, not the person who is asked to surrender their privacy if they in fact have nothing to hide.

You can fix things. You can change them.