On Wednesday, the Guardian published a secret court order requiring Verizon to hand over data for all the calls made on its network on an “ongoing, daily basis.” Other revelations about surveillance of phone and digital communications have followed. That the National Security Agency has engaged in such activity isn’t […] Read more »
Americans Already Believed Their Communications Weren’t Private Anymore
Amid the disclosure that the federal government has systematically obtained massive amounts of Verizon phone records, a new poll shows that a preponderant majority of adults already fear that their private communications are no longer private. Americans believe their cell-phone, e-mail, and other communications history is more likely to be […] Read more »
Views That Gov’t Is Too Powerful Show Little Change
Fifty-four percent of Americans say the federal government today has too much power. Despite the recent controversies facing federal agencies such as the IRS, these views are only marginally higher than in 2012, and slightly lower than in 2010 and 2011. [cont.] Frank Newport, Gallup Read more »
Fox News poll: Obama ratings dip, voters say government ‘out of control’
After a week of revelations about government spying on reporters and the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservatives, most voters feel “like the federal government has gotten out of control and is threatening the basic civil liberties of Americans.” At the same time, a new Fox News poll finds disapproval of […] Read more »
Reason-Rupe Poll: Americans Want Senate to Drop Gun Control, But Oppose 3D-Printed Guns
President Barack Obama has vowed to keep pushing for new gun control measures and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the failed gun vote in the Senate was “just the beginning.” However, the latest Reason-Rupe national poll finds just 33 percent of Americans feel the “Senate should debate and vote […] Read more »
No Patriot Act II: Americans choose civil liberties over security laws
… Following the Boston Marathon attack, we’ve heard Republicans Lindsey Graham and John McCain, among others, push for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to be handled in a way that many believe would be a violation of his civil liberties. So, has the Boston bombing opened up an avenue for lawmakers to pursue […] Read more »