Katrina vandenHeuvel, former editor of The Nation magazine, recently highlighted the enduring history of surveillance in the United States, referencing a past article titled "This Week in 'Nation' History: The United States of Surveillance, Through the Years." The tweet, posted by vandenHeuvel, stated: > "This Week in 'Nation' History: The United States of Surveillance, Through the Years https://t.co/NyYNFrVSfo". This historical reflection underscores the continuous evolution and expansion of government monitoring capabilities over more than a century.
The roots of organized domestic surveillance in the U.S. can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1896, the National Bureau of Criminal Identification was established, eventually evolving into the Bureau of Investigation in 1908, which later became the FBI. Early methods included mail tampering, wiretaps, and the infiltration of groups, with the FBI compiling secret lists on millions by 1939.
Following World War II, the U.S. intelligence apparatus saw significant expansion and formalization. The National Security Agency (NSA) was secretly created in 1952, consolidating post-war surveillance activities. This era also saw the formation of international agreements like the UKUSA Agreement in 1948, which broadened into the "Five Eyes" collaboration focused on electronic communications interception.
A pivotal shift occurred after the September 11, 2001, attacks, leading to a dramatic increase in surveillance powers. Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act just weeks later, significantly expanding the government's authority to monitor citizens, including through the collection of business records and electronic communications. Critics argued that this legislation eroded constitutional protections and lacked sufficient oversight.
The public debate intensified in 2013 with Edward Snowden's revelations, which exposed the vast scale of NSA programs, including the bulk collection of phone and internet metadata from Americans. These disclosures prompted widespread concerns about privacy and government overreach. While some provisions of the Patriot Act have since expired or been modified, the underlying surveillance infrastructure largely remains.
Today, the discussion continues regarding the balance between national security and individual liberties in an increasingly digital world. The Nation's historical perspective, as highlighted by vandenHeuvel, questions whether a society where citizens' movements, habits, and conversations are under constant surveillance, by both government and private entities, can truly flourish without gradually compromising its soul.