Professor Amitai Azioni said that privacy is vital to the democracy and freedom of American society. Without privacy, it is difficult to think independently and it is difficult to escape the pressure of government and society, so privacy is closely related to individual freedom, freedom of speech, and individual creativity and independence. Without privacy, it is impossible to be a free society. Robert Smith said that Americans especially emphasize the government’s respect for citizen privacy. Americans’ emphasis on privacy stems from distrust of the government, especially the powerful government. Because the government has the information and manipulates the state machine, it can cause great harm to citizens. Therefore, laws are in place to limit the government’s power to use citizens’ privacy. There can be religious freedom, freedom of speech and freedom of thought without government restrictions. For Americans, privacy is a sacred barrier, and the government can’t break into the door and search for it.
Professor Amitai Azioni believes that the development of modern technology has increased the possibility of the government infringing citizens’ privacy without violating the law. For example, if the police want to search the house, monitor the phone or check the mail, they must first show the court that there is sufficient evidence to suspect that the person is engaged in illegal activities and can only act after obtaining the court’s permission. If this procedure is not passed, the police will refuse to use the trial even if they find a criminal certificate. But the latest technology allows the police to find out if someone is growing drugs or seeing the text on his indoor computer through an infrared monitor without entering the house.
