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Big Sky Debate is pleased to release this special edition handbook on the January-February 2021 NSDA Public Forum Debate topic, NSA Surveillance! The resolution, as released by the National Speech and Debate Association, is:

Resolved: The National Security Agency should end its surveillance of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.

A list of briefs for this book appears below.

ALL Big Sky Debate handbooks come in both Word and PDF versions so you can copy and paste our excellent research into your own briefs, or, print out the PDF and file the old-fashioned way!

NSA Surveillance Index

AFFIRMATIVE 

PRIVACY IS ESSENTIAL 

• DEMOCRACY DEPENDS ON PRIVACY 
• PRIVACY IS PSYCHOLOGICALLY NECESSARY 

COMMUNITARIANISM IS FLAWED 

• COMMUNITARIANISM MAKES NO SENSE 
• COMMUNITARIANISM IS HOPELESSLY UNCLEAR 
• COMMUNITARIANISM UNDERMINES HUMAN RIGHTS 
• WE CAN PROTECT RIGHTS AND BE COMMUNITARIAN 

CIVIL LIBERTIES GENERAL 

• SHOULD NOT CURB LIBERTY FOR SECURITY 
• GIVING TOO MANY SURVEILLANCE POWERS RISKS AUTHORITARIANISM 
• AMERICAN DON’T SUPPORT DEGRADATION OF LIBERTIES, EVEN FOR SECURITY 
• 4TH AMENDMENT HAS SUFFERED TO FIGHT TERRORISM 
• OUR RIGHTS FRAMEWORK ALREADY BALANCES THINGS LIKE SECURITY IN PROTECTING RIGHTS 
• AMERICAN SURVEILLANCE IS EXPORTED AND EXPLOITED 
• POLICES CENTERED ON NATIONAL SECURITY ONLY ARE PRONE TO ABUSE 
• PROMISES THAT CIVIL LIBERTIES ARE KEPT IN MIND ARE UNPERSUASIVE 
• MUST STOP INCREMENTAL DIMINISHMENT OF CIVIL LIBERTIES 
• GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE HURTS FREE EXPRESSION 

SHOULD ABOLISH THE NSA 

NSA IS AUTHORITARIAN 

NSA SURVEILLANCE VIOLATES OUR RIGHTS 

NSA SPECIFIC PROGRAMS 

• METADATA COLLECTION 
• SURVEILLANCE IS OUTSOURCED TO CORPORATIONS W/ LITTLE OVERSIGHT 
• PRIVATE CONTRACTORS HAVE ACCESS TO EVERYTHING 
• OUTSOURCED SURVEILLANCE UNDERMINES GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY 
• INTEL COMMUNITY USES PRIVATIZATION TO EVADE CONGRESS 
• OUTSOURCING INCREASES THE COSTS OF INTEL/PROFITEERING 
• THE REVOLVING DOOR INCREASES SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMS 
• PRIVATIZATION UNDERMINES GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE EFFICACY 
• PRIVATIZATION LEADS TO CORRUPTION 
• OUTSOURCING LEADS TO EXPANDED SURVEILLANCE 
• OUTSOURCING LEADS TO AUTHORITARIANISM 
• OUTSOURCING OF INTEL IS TOTALITARIAN 

A/T SEX TRAFFICKING 

• HYSTERIA 
• HYPERBOLIC CLAIMS ABOUT SEX TRAFFICKING UNDERMINE POLICY 
• FOCUS ON SEX TRAFFICKING HARMS WOMEN 

A/T: NSA HAS REFORMED 

A/T TERRORISM 

A/T CYBER WAR 

• CYBER WAR 
• CYBER WAR THREAT IMAGINARY 

A/T: TRANSPARENCY

CRITICAL ARGUMENTS

• A/T WE SURVEIL OURSELVES
• A/T GENDER

NEGATIVE

PRIVACY 

• PRIVACY NEGATIVE
• PRIVACY IS NOT CRITICAL FOR DEMOCRACY 
• EXCESSIVE FOCUS ON PRIVACY DANGEROUS 

COMMUNITARIANISM 

• REJECT ABSOLUTIST POSITIONS ON PRIVACY 
• COMMUNITARIANISM: WE MUST COLLECTIVELY SACRIFICE TO ADDRESS TERRORISM 
• COMMUNITARIANISM: WE MUST FOCUS ON THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE 
• COMMUNITARIANISM BETTER PROTECTS RIGHTS 

SHOULD NOT ABOLISH THE NSA 

THE NSA CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT SPYING ON AMERICANS 

NSA SPECIFICS 

• MODEST REFORMS WILL FIX THE NSA 
• THE NSA RARELY MAKES MISTAKES IN SURVEILLANCE TARGETS 
• NSA CRITICISM IS OVERSTATED 
• METADATA COLLECTION IS LEGAL/CONSTITUTIONAL 
• A WARRANT IS STILL REQUIRED TO LOOK AT THE DATA 
• PRISM DOES NOT VIOLATE PRIVACY 
• PRISM DID NOT GIVE DIRECT ACCESS TO CORPORATE SERVERS 
• PRISM SEARCHES DO NOT TARGET AMERICANS 
• THE NSA MINIMIZES COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION 
• EO12333 DOES NOT VIOLATE PRIVACY 
• THE FISA COURT DOES OFFER MEANINGFUL OVERSIGHT 
• OVERLY RESTRICTING THE NSA WILL LEAD TO TERRORISM 
• CONSTRAINING THE NSA WILL NOT INCREASE PRIVACY 
• IMPACT CALCULUS JUSTIFIES NSA SURVEILLANCE 
• AFF CAN’T SOLVE. THE NSA WILL JUST IGNORE 
• EXCESSIVE CRITICISM OF NSA WEAKENS AMERICAN POWER 
• EXCESSIVE CRITICISM LEADS TO DANGEROUS PRIVATIZATION 

NSA OUTSOURCING IS GOOD 

• HARMS: COMPANIES ARE POLICING THEMSELVES BETTER 
• SOLVENCY: OUTSOURCING IMPROVES INTELLIGENCE WORK 
• COMPANIES BETTER PROTECT OUR RIGHTS 
• THE ANSWER IS TO REFORM, NOT ABOLISH PRIVATE CONTRACTORS 

US SURVEILLANCE IS DEMOCRATIC 

• US SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMS ARE UNIQUELY DEMOCRATIC AND ACCOUNTABLE 
• NSA SURVEILLANCE IS A LEGITIMATE FUNCTION OF GOVERNMENT 

SEX TRAFFICKING 

• GENERAL 
• SURVEILLANCE NEEDED TO DETECT HUMAN TRAFFICKERS 
• SURVEILLANCE TECH NEEDED TO PREVENT TRAFFICKING 
• MORAL IMPERATIVE TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING 

TERRORISM 

• TERRORISM: GENERAL 
• TERRORISM IS A GROWING THREAT IN THE US 
• METADATA COLLECTION PREVENTS TERRORIST ATTACKS 
• ONLY MASS SURVEILLANCE WORKS
• PRISM PREVENTS TERRORIST ATTACKS
• THE IMPACT OF TERRORISM MEANS IT ALWAYS OUTWEIGHS 

LAW ENFORCEMENT COMPARISON FLAWED 

• THE US CANNOT ALLOW RESTRICTION OF INTEL INFORMATION SHARING 
• CRIMINAL JUSTICE STANDARD CANNOT BE APPLIED TO NSA 

TRANSPARENCY IS A BETTER IDEA 

CRITICAL ARGUMENTS 

• CRITIQUE OF AFF: WE SURRENDER OUR PRIVACY WILLINGLY 
• SURVEILLANCE OF BLACKNESS CRITIQUE OF AFF 
• SURVEILLANCE IS NOT NEUTRAL, BUT GENDERED