The rule of law is slipping away from Americans. These masked “anonymous” federal agents are identifying people without consent. In most states of the United States, one is not always required to identify oneself and has the right to remain anonymous unless an officer has a reasonable suspicion to believe that the individual is involved in a crime. One may argue, “well, what if the officer already knew the person’s identity? Isn’t this the same?” No, this is not the same, because there is a huge difference in scale, and furthermore, this is database building. These are reasons why the dichotomy in the US between public and private should be scrapped and modernized. We the people should have some right to privacy even in public, as the abilities to identify and track individuals in public are more expansive and invasive than ever. Never in history have the tools of surveillance been this oppressive and all encompassing.