Wiretapping - - yay or nay?

This article comes from the Time Magazine website and is about whether or not the law to make wiretapping legal should lapse, and grant the telecommunications companies immunity, or if the law should become more permanent. The law currently allows the government the authority to wiretap without consent or knowledge and pretty much anytime they want to.

Since the law was put into place back after 9/11, most Americans then were alright with that action, as long as it was a defense that would defeat terrorism, which was our main concern at that time. “Whatever-it-takes.” Putting the idea in our minds that there was something more there, when maybe there was, maybe there wasn’t. But it gave the government an opportunity to gain more power with our consent.

Now though, there is more the concern that government could abuse that power, rather than using it for its initial stated purpose. I understand the need for wiretapping in some cases, but at what point is it too much? Who decides what the standards are and who will be tapped? There should be more regulations on it so that it doesn’t become out of control. Keep it so that the government can’t take it too far and use their gained information against individuals, like with J. Edgar Hoover. People should be able to feel that they still have some civil liberties left.