Re: Snowden, NSA, etc. [View all]
Without expressing judgment on the current situation, I want to say that every government in the history of forever has spied. They've spied on their friends. They've spied on their enemies. And yes, they've spied on their own people. In the old days, it was sending undercover folks into pubs, union halls, what have you. Then they placed tape recorders behind the radiator. Whatever technology was available, they've used.
It's naive to think that technologies can exist without governments using them to further their own goals. This is certainly an uncomfortable idea, but it's the truth. Does anyone here think other governments don't use each and every tool at their disposal to get information? Russia, England, Israel, France? They all do.
The only thing surprising about the current uproar is that so many people DIDN'T expect this to be happening.
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