 | Parts of this article (those related to Everything after 2015) need to be updated. The reason given is: "the most recent authority set to expire June 1, 2015": needs a followup!. (May 2023) |
Former U.S. President Barack Obama favored some levels of mass surveillance. He has received some widespread criticism from detractors as a result. Due to his support of certain government surveillance, some critics have said his support violated acceptable privacy rights, while others dispute or attempt to provide justification for the expansion of surveillance initiatives under his administration.
One of the primary reasons for modern surveillance techniques and beliefs directly resulted from the attacks on 9/11. This led to the desire of U.S. intelligence agencies to intercept communications by potential terror organizations in the planning of such attacks within the United States. The debate is one of privacy or safety.