Big Data and the Goverment

An interesting discussion was had in class: to what extent is it okay for the government to gather data that for some might me considered private? In The Cuckoo's Egg this idea is also explored, and I have reached the conclusion that if we want some security, we need to allow the government agencies to have access to this data. Nevertheless, where do we draw a line? If it is to little, then it cannot be used for any good. If it is too much, then it can be damaging to people's privacy and to our trust of the government. I have often thought about the amount of power that we can give to government agencies if we let them have all of our data; visions of Big Brother dystopian societies come to me. I believe that we must be wary of this problem, and that we have to accept that some of this data must be shared. Nevertheless, we must not stand in silence and let it go by if at some point the government crosses the line where we as people do not have any more privacy.