<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article or section appears to be slanted towards recent events . Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective and add more content related to non-recent events . (November 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> The right to privacy is an element of various legal traditions to restrain government and private actions that threaten the privacy of individuals . Over 150 national constitutions mention the right to privacy . </P> <P> Since the global surveillance disclosures of 2013, initiated by ex-NSA employee Edward Snowden, the inalienable human right to privacy has been a subject of international debate . In combating worldwide terrorism, government agencies, such as the NSA, CIA, R&AW, and GCHQ have engaged in mass, global surveillance . </P> <P> There is now a question as to whether the right to privacy can co-exist with the current capabilities of intelligence agencies to access and analyse virtually every detail of an individual's life . A major question is whether or not the right to privacy needs to be forfeited as part of the social contract to bolster defense against supposed terrorist threats . </P>

The supreme court has ruled that the right to personal privacy is limited when