For those of you that fill up your free time browsing the internet for memes, you may very well have seen the “Personal FBI Agent” joke floating around the internet lately. For those of you that haven’t, I will explain. The joke is that everyone has been assigned their own FBI agent that monitors them through their phone or computer. Twitter users often poke fun about the things that this agent may see or their communications with them and honestly, it can be pretty funny. The problem is, these jokes have a basis in reality and many fear for their own right to privacy.

       

This isn’t some conspiracy theory that you might have shouted at you by someone in a tinfoil hat. It’s the result of the war on terror in the United States. The ignorance on the nearly unlimited power of government agencies to gather information is rather concerning. This is due to the USA PATRIOT Act which was a result of the September 11th terror attacks and whether or not you believe 9/11 was an inside job, the results of the tragedy are undeniable. The Patriot Act, as it’s more commonly known, expanded the abilities of law enforcement agencies in an attempt to combat terrorism on US soil. It was a temporary set of provisions that allowed the government access to a greater number of personal and business records, while also giving intelligence gathering agencies the freedom to tap into phones and electronics without a court order. Searches of private residences and businesses were also permitted without a warrant. Many of the provisions enacted in the original Patriot Act have been altered or made permanent, as some of those seen as radical were only meant to be temporary. This has caused controversy among political leaders and lawmakers as many made claims that the act is unconstitutional and hinders civil liberties came forth. One unnerving example of this was the National Security Agencies mass phone data collection program. This allowed data extraction from unknowing citizens that were being targeted for one reason or another. This has since been amended to only allow phone companies direct access to that information unless the NSA acquires approval from a federal court. Some of the legal wording in these documents is vague and many are unsure what constitutes a potentially dangerous individual that the government has the right to survey.

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It is this lack of clarity that led to the fear that, like many other legitimate concerns, has become a meme to be spread across the internet for a few laughs. Though it’s highly unlikely you’re being monitored by the government, it is important to know what rights you have and engage in the political system. Without citizens engaged in this democracy, those individuals will inevitably be taken advantage of through ignorance. The next time you’re paranoid that your FBI agent is watching you watch Netflix, just remember to cover up that webcam.