Revelations have come forward regarding the online data mining program known as PRISM. PRISM allows the government to collect private data from user accounts hosted by major internet companies such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft.
The Washington Post and the Guardian have provided extensive details on how PRISM collects foreign and domestic data. Josh Earnest said that, "The president welcomes a discussion of the tradeoffs between security and civil liberties."
To engage the public in earnest discussion, the administration must publish concrete details on these programs- including legal justifications, the amount of domestic data captured, and how this data is retained. Knowledge of what we are trading is the minimum requirement for a genuine discussion of trade-offs to occur.