How tightly the government should keep tabs on citizens has long been fiercely debated. But concern about surveillance intensified in June after National Security Agency computer specialist Edward Snowden revealed classified details of agency electronic snooping programs. Civil liberties advocates, lawmakers and others also have cited growing unease with other surveillance measures, including the use of unmanned "drone" aircraft and tiny video cameras. Congress, along with state and local governments, is expected to take up a variety of bills this fall to protect privacy and increase transparency about government activities. But the Obama administration maintains that internal safeguards -- including a federal civil liberties oversight board created in 2004 -- have prevented the federal government from becoming "Big Brother."

Chuck McCutcheon is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C. He has been a reporter and editor for Congressional Quarterly and Newhouse News Service and is co-author of the 2012 and 2014 editions of The Almanac of American Politics. He also has written books on climate change and nuclear waste.