Content Outline

This post will help me in the long run because it made me think of how my paper will be constructed and what the content will look like throughout the paper as well.

• An opening section

-        In this section of my paper I plan to grab the reader emotionally. I want to point out some terrorist attacks that have happened in the past and point out that they could have been prevented if the NSA was able to collect certain data.

-        My thesis will read: While Americans have historically enjoyed full freedom of privacy protected by the fourth amendment, modern struggles require Americans to relinquish some of this right to privacy in order to ensure the security of the country. There is a balance to strike however between security and this principle right in the United States of America.

• At least 3 main body sections (more’s fine)

-        One section I want to talk about the NSA’s purpose.

-        The next section I want to talk about how they use data they collect.

-        Another section I want to talk about the opposing opinion and why it is irrelevant.

-        The final  main section I want to talk about what needs to change about the NSA.

• A closing section

-        In this section I want to say that the argument should not be privacy vs. security but rather liberty vs. control.

• Main idea for each section

-        The opening section I want to connect with the reader emotionally. National tragedies are one of the things that make Americans come together the most about and fight for change on. If I can strike that heart string, I can make a great start in persuading my audience to agree with my point.

-        The first main section is meant to give the reader a background of why governmental is in place and what the NSA and other surveillance agencies are meant to do.

-        The second main section is meant to explain what the NSA does with this data that they collect in order to give the truth about what they do. This is meant to clear up any false rumors that surround what the NSA does with your data.

-        The third main section is meant to discredit the opposing opinion. This would be the opinion that the government should not be collecting any American’s data.

-        The final main section would be meant to explain what could be fixed about the NSA to make the collection of your data safer for you and less invasive.

-        The concluding section would be meant to explain to people that their opinion does not have to be security or privacy, you will always have some of both. The opinion should be based on whether you want liberty for your data or the government to be able to control what is happening.

• Major pieces of evidence for each body section (there should be at least 2 for each)

NSA Purpose

-        The first piece of evidence here could be the reason that the NSA was installed as well as the Patriot Act. I would include what the Patriot Act is and how it came to be. In addition, if there have been any changes to it since its inception, I hould cover them here.

-        The second piece of evidence could be the list of duties and responsibilities that the NSA has and why they have each one.

NSA with Data

-        The first piece of evidence could be where each category of evidence the NSA collects is placed.

-        The second piece of evidence could be why they collect each piece of data.

Opposing Opinion

-        The first piece of evidence could be explaining what the opposing side is and why they think this way.

-        The second piece of evidence could be explaining, for example, how the opposing side believes that the government will give out the information without a second thought. This is incorrect and can be proven by an example involving the underwear bomber of 2009.

Changing the NSA

-        The first piece of evidence here could be the suggested amendment to the Patriot Act that makes the NSA have reasonable cause to collect and store a piece of data.

-        The second piece of evidence could be how the government needs to prevent marketing companies from doing the same thing as the NSA, by collecting massive amounts of data and putting it in storage, and not have the security to make sure the wrong person does not get a hold of it by hacking into their data bases for example.

• Summary of what the evidence proves (for each piece of evidence)

1.     The first piece of evidence proves that there is a reason that the Patriot Act and NSA are in existence.

2.     The second piece of evidence proves that they are actually doing something besides costing the tax payer a great deal of money.

3.     The third piece of evidence proves where the data is stored and who has access to this data.

4.     The next piece of evidence proves that the NSA has a reason they are collecting each piece of data.

5.     This piece of evidence proves that there is another opinion and the points that they use in their argument for their side. There is no real proof that large amounts of data collection will protect the American people as explained in this article: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/16/the-nsa-can-collect-it-all-but-what-will-it-do-with-our-data-next.html

What I also want to talk about in this section is how companies are also doing similar things to the NSA. They are the ones that are not careful with a person’s data and put them at risk. The following article explains this in greater depth. http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/04/politics/deena-zaru-internet-privacy-security-al-franken/

6.      This piece of evidence proves why a lot of what the opposing side is wrong about how care free the NSA is with American’s data. If they were so protective that the FBI had a hard time getting ahold of some data, then another outside source will not be able to get the data at all. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/nsa-intelligence-gathering-programs-keep-us-safe/2014/01/02/0fd51b22-7173-11e3-8b3f-b1666705ca3b_story.html

7.     The next piece of evidence proves that there needs to be a change in the Patriot Act and in how the NSA collects data and a way to fix it. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/16/the-nsa-can-collect-it-all-but-what-will-it-do-with-our-data-next.html

8.     The final piece of evidence proves that the NSA is not the agency that is risking Americans’ security, it is the marketing companies that take their data and are not careful in what they do with it.

• Summary of why that’s important (for each piece of evidence)

1.     This is important because the audience needs a background of why what we are arguing about even exists.

2.     This is important because there needs to be an understanding by the reader of what the NSA says they are doing and if they are following these guidelines.

3.     This one is important because it is necessary to know what the NSA does with the data in order to understand why they collect data.  

4.     The fourth one is important because if they do not have a reason to collect Americans’ data then there would not be a reason for them to exist.

5.     The fifth piece of evidence is important because without knowing what the opposing side wants then the reader cannot choose a side to stand for.

6.     The sixth piece of evidence is important because it explains why governmental surveillance is more important than privacy.

7.     This is important because it shows that there are improvements that can be made with the Patriot Act and how the NSA operates.

8.     The final piece of evidence is important because the reader needs to know that the true enemy of collecting their data are privately owned companies, not their public government.

• Some ideas about how to grab the reader’s attention in the opening section (at least 2)

-        One way to grab the reader’s attention in the opening paragraph is to talk about the disasters of terrorism that have directly affected the United States

-        Another way to grab the attention of the reader in the opening section is to talk about without regulation it could happen again.

• Some idea about how to explain the larger significance of your subject in the closing section (at least 2)

-        Talk about how what the argument truly should be about is liberty vs. control and that people should be arguing on a more moderate basis. It will never be security or privacy in modern times.

-        Another way to explain the larger significance is to explain what can be prevented with the help of governmental surveillance such as wars, terrorist attacks, and major drug movements in or out of the country.