Anahi Rivera 

Week 6 Blog 

The article The US Patriot Act: A Sketch by Charles Doyle, Senior Specialist, and America Law Division helps the reader understand why the US is so strict on its laws, to protect its people and create a safe environment for everyone to enjoy. I thought that the three tiered system was really interesting because I did not know that someone could be monitoring “telephone, face to face, and computer communication” (Charles Doyle) all at once. It is really scary to think that your phone is being checked by someone you don't know and even scarier to think that they are reading your private conversations. This weekend I went to Los Angeles to visit my family while at the air port I was exposed to one of the acts the “Alien Terrorists and Victims Act,” I was told to take my shoes off and to empty out my pockets. I also had to put my stuff on a container but my laptop had to be placed on its own.  Then I was put through a scanner that made a beeping sound as it checked me. I panicked as I saw the police officers come up to me and check my hands and wrists because I had never committed any crimes but this time it seemed like i had, when in reality i was just trying to get to the plane. As the article mentions, these laws must be followed to “prevent alien terrorists,” which I completely agree with but sometimes people don't want to travel because they fear these checkpoints. Although it was very interesting to know that i had not passed the scanner test i least i felt confident that the “mass transpiration facilities” (Charles Doyle) are safe and free of danger. 

How can authorities hack into a phone ? In what ways can officials prevent a terrorist attack? Do they have access to all cellular devices at once?