Call Monitoring

Intro- ask Q
Imagine breaking some private news to a friend on a sunny day in the park. Next, imagine how you might feel if an undercover CIA agent were writing down your every word without your consent. Some might ask, is this appropriate? Is this constitutional? Is this right? This same question is asked surrounding the issue of call monitoring. When is it just for government officials to monitor their citizens’ calls?


Background-
Call monitoring exists in the United States at present, and has been an issue of debate for as long as it’s been around. Some believe that it is an illegal invasion of privacy, while others see it as a necessary measure in the aid to the prevention of terrorism on the home front. One example of call monitoring that has been widely accepted is in the workplace. Workplace call monitoring is used as a method of making sure that employees are on task and dedicated. There it is virtually unregulated. In the practice of call monitoring at work, “80% of employers disclose their monitoring practices to employees” (Privacy Rights ClearingHouse) However, if a monitor finds that they have found themselves listening to personal information, they are required by law, to hang up. Exactly the opposite of this is domestic call monitoring, sometimes called ‘domestic spying’. Since September 11th, the NSA logged tens of millions of recorded calls,


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conclusion- opinion!