Privacy Beneficial Laws
The legal side of privacy is complicated. Some argue that certain laws should be passed to keep us safe, for example Section 215, which allows the government to spy on us to prevent terrorism. Others argue that it shouldn't be allowed, since the government shouldn't need all the data that is provided by S215. Here are my views on the issue, and what can be done to improve it.
In a perfect world, terrorism wouldn't happen. But it does. So what can we do for us to all stay safe and private?
First, I believe S215 should be clarified. "Tangible things" is awfully broad. Information that isn't relevant to the security of citizens shouldn't be analyzed. Real-time location data isn't needed on every person - it should only be collected for terrorism suspects. If you don't have probable cause, don't collect records of calls.
A law that I believe would help is a law requiring all government branches to release all documents after 10 years. Tons of documents are classified, and haven't been released for minuscule reasons. If the government was required to release these documents after 10 years of their authoring, it encourages transparency.
I believe the ideas expressed above would help, and I hope that with the induction of younger congress members who understand these concepts, privacy's legal aspects can be revisited.