I was a little stuck on whether to agree with the idea of these monitoring systems or not but I think ultimately I would have to agree that they may help in some aspects but it is also very risky in some ways too, especially when it comes to public opinions. In the beginning parts of the essay, Goldsmith mentions that EINSTEIN filters and examines content of communications for malicious flags and signatures and anything that is cleared will immediately be deleted. They already do something similar with content moderation on public forums but including this monitoring technology even on a private level will raise many concerns. It would likely help to mitigate malware and other bad agents.

I would argue that just implementing EINSTEIN 2 & 3, the intrusion detection system and prevention system, respectively, without the copying of all data and communications across all of the websites and communication in question would be better than the full out invasion of privacy implied by the monitoring systems. The “active sensors” a supposedly designed to detect intrusion in real time and immediately implement a reaction or preventative plan. Just that alone would be an improvement on the security the government wants to achieve with these projects and systems. 

When referencing the laws in place that may hinder the use of these system Goldsmith mentions that there have been cases where courts ruled in favor of breaking the laws in “special needs cases” and further says that the laws can be further amended if needed to allow for this system. This is where i’m going to have to disagree with his reasonings. In one of the special cases he mentioned it was a matter of time sensitive national security. I believe that yes the system can be implemented in databases and communications relevant to government intelligence but nongovernmental related, public or private sites and communication’s do not fit into the category he outlines when mentioning the “special needs cases” for breaking the fourth amendment. And I believe the legitimacy of that amendment will be questioned if too many alterations are made. Especially the one it would take to allow the long term use of EINSTEIN. And furthermore, what laws will the government then put in place to keep this from being misused? Both the changes in the laws and the system.

But ultimately i’m not sure if I would agree on it for all communications, public and private.