General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Bob Schieffer destroys himself. Can't remember history. Pimps ad hominem illogic. [View all]JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Have you ever worked for a telephone company? For an internet company?
Whatever the number, 80-20 or 50-50, the facts and the reality remain.
Our government certainly can and probably does do total surveillance. They may only access specific calls or e-documents when they wish, but they can do it, and the probably do. It is just such an easy way to get information about people.
They can't present that information as evidence in a court of law unless they get a warrant, but there is nothing to stop them from accessing the information physically since the information is in the system and they can tap into the system, into the connections that link us all up.
It is naive to think otherwise. And it is naive to think that the government can tap into the system, has a court order requiring the companies holding our electronic information to keep it available for their subpoenas and does not hire private contractors to do it. Maybe by law they aren't allowed to tap into those networks, but who is to prevent them from doing it, who is to even know whether and when they do it?
No one. There is no day-to-day independent oversight on this program. And even if there were, it would be paid by the same government that instituted the program.
And it is naive to think that they have the program and don't use it to snoop as they wish. It would contravene all that we know about human nature. A few people are capable of controlling their curiosity, but most are not.
I once had a boss who advised me that there were secret files at the back of his file cabinet that neither I nor anyone else was allowed to review. I never looked at them although I had to open the door from time to time and although he was out of town and I was alone in the office quite often. I have no idea what was in the files and figured I did not need to know. But I suspect that 95% of people in my position would have peaked sooner or later -- just out of curiosity. It's human nature. If I had been interested in what was in there, who knows whether I would looked?