You know, I am going to regret wandering into this thread.
Look, let's take Snowden at his word. First, it's not exactly like this is
the first domestic spying. Hell,
no one really thinks about it, and
it isn't even just the US. The government has always, in some respect, collected your information. In fact, many companies collect your information.
Part of Google's income comes from indirectly selling your search data. I get it, it's jarring to realize that those emails you thought were private, really aren't,
even if they never were. The freedom we have is an illusion. Just like the rule of law. Just like the concept of morality.
We want to believe in these illusions because it helps society run. But the reality is that any of these things can just vanish in a heartbeat. They are just pieces of paper, they will not stop the government from violating your supposed rights. So they collect data, and store data. I can say I don't give a flying **** if the government has that data on me. The government doesn't give a **** about me, realistically, unless I run break a rule in their book. If the government wanted me to be gone, they don't need my history. Look at Guantanamo Bay. You think you could never be put there?
Gee, even that wasn't a first.
So I don't care if you believe Snowden. He's definitely not lying about one thing, your data is in some file, somewhere. And if it isn't, it can be in no time at all. The reality is that I do not worry about the government, I worry about the people. I worry that, if Snowden is telling the truth, he left the NSA with classified information. I worry that someone else could too. I worry that someone's cheese slips off their cracker, and they use that data in the NSA to harm someone. I worry about that data being leaked. That's my only stake in this story.
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Olorinus the Ludicrous wrote:
The idea of old school is way more interesting than the reality