Band 6+: Some people believe that governments should have access to people's mobile phone call records and messages for safety reasons. Others believe that this information is private and should not be available without permission.

While many people think that the government should be able to see our phone call records and messages, many have a different opinion on this topic.

I agree that there is a big safety reason as to why the government would want to have access to our phone information. Having access to peoples’ phones might for example prevent or stop a terrorist attack which will indeed save lots of lives. However I still believe thah the government should not be able to have access to our private information for several reasons.

First of all, if all bad people knew that the government has access to their phones, they just wouldn’t use them. I am sure that there are other safer ways for them to communicate without getting caught. This defeats the whole argument of it being a safety concern.

Secondly, someone watching my phone is a huge invasion of privacy and my personal space. Consequently, this can cause a feeling that somebody is always watching or following you. Imagine living and knowing that whatever you send to your friend, someone other than your friend will see it as well. Personally, I think it can cause paranoia and anxiety to lots of people and will generally always hold public on their toes. And as a government, you definately woudnt want that.

Finally, I have lots of online friendships and I genuinely think that some of them wouldn’t work as well if I knew that my phone is being spied on. When people text, I feel like they can say whatever they want with no real consequences. But if you knew that someone in the government is checking your messages, you would think twice before replying to someone. I feel like this can destroy lots of friendships on social media.