25 Years of Mass Surveillance Is Enough

The terrorist attacks of September 11 led to a shift in government surveillance methods from targeted approaches to mass surveillance techniques. This change involved moving away from individual wiretaps and towards broader methods like tapping into the internet backbone or collecting large amounts of telephone and internet metadata. The legal and technical framework for mass surveillance was initially justified as a necessary measure against terrorist threats, but it has since expanded beyond this purpose and national security in general. The growth of mass surveillance has occurred over the past 25 years. The initial justification for mass surveillance is no longer seen as the primary reason for its continued use. The scope of mass surveillance now exceeds its original national security