Is the government watching everybody?

The U.S government does not actively or routinely monitor all U.S residents. However, many critics have bemoaned the government's growing ability and willingness to conduct broad-based surveillance.

Though the NSA assures the public it only actively monitors credible terror suspects, it maintains a vast database of information of the phone and email activities of millions of ordinary Americans. As detailed by controversial whistleblower and fugitive Edward Snowden, the NSA's surveillance activities are unprecedented in U.S history. The growing public outrage towards NSA activities emphasizes how balancing the need for security and privacy rights is one of the signature issues in modern governance.