Many civil liberties activists are critical of the National Security Agency’s secret surveillance program, but when safety is the motive, African-Americans say government spying is permissible.

According to a recent poll, 55 percent of African-Americans said the government should be able to monitor everyone’s email and other online activities if it would prevent a terrorist attack. Just 42 percent of whites polled in the Pew Research Center/Washington Post survey said it would be OK.

The Obama administration and the NSA are currently under fire for collecting daily phone logs for millions of Americans. The NSA and the FBI are collecting data from the top nine Internet companies. Some argue it helps keep the nation safe. Others say it doesn't pass the sniff test and stinks of government overreach.
The poll surveyed 1,004 adults nationwide and was conducted June 6-9.

— BET.com reporter Joyce Jones contributed to this article.

BET National News - Keep up to date with breaking news stories from around the nation, including headlines from the hip hop and entertainment world. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter. 

Get ready for the BET Experience, featuring Beyoncé, Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly, Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar and many more. Go here for more details and info on how to buy tickets.

 (Photo: AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)