How much of your Internet data and privacy are you willing to give up to feel safe? This is becoming a hot topic in today’s Internet Age, not just with the NSA but with local police now as well.

Many police departments around the country have begun to do what is called “smart policing,” which is sifting through large amounts of data and case files in order to focus their attention more effectively. This has helped police prevent crimes from happening, and in turn, has allowed for extremely dangerous cities like Kansas City to feel safe again.

The program, implemented in Kansas City, has a heavy emphasis on prevention and community outreach, instead of jailing anyone who may be suspicious. According to Capt. Joe McHale of the Kansas City Police Department, the program is “not about putting more people in prison, it’s about putting the right people in prison.” This is not only good in a sense of jailing the correct suspects, but it also can help alleviate the crowded prison population that the United States is seeing.

Smart policing has had outstanding results not just in Kansas City, but also around the country. It also allows for police officers to be safer. Other programs like smart policing have included giving body cameras to officers, which showed an average of 44 percent decrease in complaints against officers.

The United States is by no means the first country to implement tactics like these on a federal or local scale. Other countries have been using data and social media to fight smarter warfare in this Internet Age. The British Army recently announced that it was adding the 77^th Brigade, which is a team that specializes in social media and psychological operations, in order to be more effective in war. The goal is for the team to control the narrative and achieve results disproportionate to their 1,500-person team.

Smart policing seems safer, more efficient and of course, smarter in almost every aspect. It does, however, raise privacy concerns for innocent civilians. There have been television shows like “Person of Interest” that deal with this very program and style of protection and while it does seem heroic, there are still many grey areas that need to be addressed.

The common argument against it will be the popular Benjamin Franklin quote, “He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither.” But those who beg that question have to ask themselves if it truly is freedom they’re giving up.