American Net users ambivalent about government surveillance of the Net

“Though they demonstrate a willingness to cede power to officials over what to disclose online, a plurality of Americans believe that taking government information off the Internet will not make a difference in battling terrorists. In addition, citizens are sharply divided on the question of whether the government should be able to monitor people[base ‘]s email and online activities. The division is this: 47% of Americans believe the government should not have the right to monitor people[base ‘]s Internet use and 45% say the government should have that right. A majority of Internet users oppose government monitoring of people[base ‘]s email and Web activities.

These are among the findings in a new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project taken between June 26 and July 26 of 2,501 American adults. The results are published in a report entitled [base “]One Year Later: September 11 and the Internet.[per thou] It is a wide-ranging examination of what people feel government disclosure policies should be, how Americans[base ‘] online behavior has changed since 9/11, and how the Web itself changed as producers responded to the crisis.” [More….]