Resolving the tension between information technology and legitimate privacy interests

How does the nation resolve the tension between information technology and legitimate privacy interests? Can the nation truly prevent government from having access to data while enforcing electronic accountability if data is misused? Does making technological choices at the intersection of privacy and civil liberties protection with national security require tradeoffs? How is it possible to strike a balance or weigh the trade-offs between security and freedom? Is it justified to have civil liberties and personal rights interfered with for the sake of national security?