14 DAY TRIAL // Restore the Fourth protests came and went and numerous people gathered across the United States to tell the government to respect their privacy.
More than 100 rallies were held across America and a few even happened in other countries, such as Canada, Germany and the UK.
Hundreds of people didn’t just come to join the crowds instead of attending to their barbecues, but brought banners and signs that centered on the NSA spying programs.
While some banners held by the people present at the rallies were racy and indicated that private issues may have been seen by the NSA, others militated for a change.
“I was born in 1984, I refuse to die in 1984,” read one sign that makes an obvious reference to the famous George Orwell novel that introduced the term of “Big Brother” to the world.
Another referenced the same novel, but adds a little irony. “1984 was a work of fiction, not an instruction manual!”
Others talked about human rights, online privacy, and how the NSA should stop reading emails and start checking out the Constitution.
Restore the Fourth is a movement that started on Reddit in light of the NSA scandal. It was only four weeks ago that Edward Snowden’s leaked documents ended in the media and everyone became outraged to learn that the United States was spying on them.
Whether they were in the United States or the rest of the world, the news about the NSA was of concern since the agency has a way to track all types of electronic communications.
Ever since then, international tensions grew exponentially as the United States hunts for Edward Snowden and puts pressure on foreign governments.
Another diplomatic scandal has also erupted late last week when it was revealed that the US was spying on EU diplomats, but also on dozens of foreign embassies.