3 Shocking Revelations from NSA's Most Terrifying Program Yet

[hueymahl]

37. Exactly! It is no different than what the FBI used to do . . .

with paper file cabinets and political targets. Substitute automated systems for field agents and massive computer storage for file cabinets, and it is exactly the same thing. It used to be be they would gather every piece of information that may be relevant or lead to relevant information, not knowing what they had until later. It would then be stored in paper form, and if an analyst ever had need to look at it, he could and try to find some pattern. Rarely did the field agent get involved in that kind of analysis unless he or shee actually witnessed a crime in progress or were part of a special team.

The main difference now is our great, fantastic all protective government now has the resources to deploy a (electronic) field agent to gather information on every single citizen, not just the politically scary. So if you ever become politically scary, they already have a deep dossier on you.

I feel safer already.


p.s. Do I really need the sarcasm tag?