Government Surveillance: Security v. Liberty?

Modern surveillance activities by the United States government have taken place since World War I and continue to this day, especially in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

Proponents of such efforts argue that lawful surveillance is necessary to protect national security and that the FISA court system is designed to prevent abuses. Opponents argue that such surveillance rarely produces actionable intelligence and can be wielded by unaccountable bureaucrats at the expense of targeted individuals and groups.

In this Fourth Branch video, Matthew Heiman and Julian Sanchez debate this important policy issue and Faisal Gill, a former Department of Homeland Security official who was surveilled by the federal government beginning in 2006, tells his story.

A Fourth Branch video in association with Motivo Media.


Differing Views:

Faisal Gill

Attorney & former Senior Policy Advisor

Department of Homeland Security


Matthew R. A. Heiman

Chief Legal + Administrative Officer

Waystar Health


Julian Sanchez

Senior Fellow

Cato Institute


Cyber & Privacy

The Federalist Society and Regulatory Transparency Project take no position on particular legal or public policy matters. All expressions of opinion are those of the speaker(s). To join the debate, please email us at [email protected].

Related Content

Skip to content