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Keywords

People's Republic of China, National Security, Privacy Rights, U.S. Privacy Law, January 6th, Fourth Amendment

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze and compare current events in the People's Republic of China and the United States to discuss the moral dilemmas that arise when establishing the boundary between national security interests and individual privacy rights. As we continue to intertwine our lives with technology, it has become increasingly important to establish clear privacy rights. The question then becomes: at what point should individuals sacrifice their rights for what the government considers the "greater good" of the country?

Further, this article analyzes the development of U.S. privacy law and its relationship to national security, technology, and politics. While both the U.S. and the PRC purport to value strong individual privacy laws, divisive events such as the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol and the Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong put these protections to the test. In each instance, technology was used to hunt down protestors and charge them for anti-government behavior. And in each country, the government believed that their crackdown was justifiable. These issues will be broken down from multiple perspectives, including Fourth Amendment, modern U.S. case law, national security, and international perspectives.

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