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The revelations that Obama administration secretly collected phone records and accessed the internet activity of millions of Americans have raised new questions about the public's willingness to sacrifice civil liberties in the interests of national security. Since 9/11, Americans generally have valued protection from terrorism over civil liberties, yet they also have expressed concerns over government overreach and intrusions on their personal privacy.

Americans are divided over whether or not the U.S. government has gone too far in using surveillance practices that infringe on citizens' privacy, an NBC News online survey found. While 38 percent of Americans say the government's surveillance program has gone too far in infringing on people's privacy, 35 percent say the government's program has been relatively balanced between privacy concerns and fighting terrorism.