With Edward Snowden's revelations about the enormous amount of government surveillance on individuals around the world and the almost endless amount of news regarding the lack of privacy on the Internet, the question of data Mining by government and private businesses is of growing concern to Americans. Many government agencies, including President Obama, have defended the collection of phone records and Internet usage data by saying that these efforts are critical to the global fight not only against terrorism, but also counterterrorism. but also financial crime, sexual crimes and surveillance by foreign powers. Many people in America and elsewhere are very concerned about the ramifications of these programs. Privacy issues (relative to government and private corporate interests) are at the forefront of this concern, but there are also issues of personal safety, government intrusion, and potential limits on free speech. One of the most interesting aspects of this whole issue is how much information we voluntarily provide to government and private companies. A couple of years ago, and continues to this day, a debate began about police officers downloading information from smartphones without a warrant during routine traffic checks. Many smartphones contain GPS tracking software that can tell the police and manufacturer where you have been. The best known of these phones is the Apple iPhone. There was an uproar over this information when it was leaked, and it was also widely reported that there is an easy way to disable this feature, but most people don't do this, and their information continues to be collected. By briefly analyzing two major social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, one can easily observe that the p...... middle of paper ......relates to government programs like this. The country's airwaves and telephone lines/cables are governed and regulated by the government. Contracts, mergers and patents are all under government control. A company that doesn't cooperate could find itself losing contracts and business to competitors who do. This in turn gives the government even more power over the individual. Obviously, there has to be a balance. In an age of increasing anonymity and mass culture, freedom of expression and privacy are more important than ever. This must be balanced with security in an age of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. The key is oversight of data collection, and possibly oversight of oversight (“Who is watching the observers?”), and vigorous prosecution of anyone or any entity that breaks the law. Including the NSA.