I hate to repeat a post, but the latest NSA revelations are more profound than I can describe

[Pholus]

64. Completely agreed.

I switched to Duckduckgo some time ago because of that. Not that that is any guarantee of course (certainly the NSA would WANT to give extra attention to the search engines that don't save the searches for them in their quest to be the ultimate nosy neighbor). Haven't wanted to switch to Tor yet, mostly because that is such a high profile thing that the NSA is certainly trying to undermine it and you will get an "extra special" notation in your record for having tried to keep off their radar. Thought about trying to hide my actual personality in Google keyword salting (randomly sending a volume of searches automatically just to hide what I actually am interested in) but that merely raises up your visibility at this point, too few people do it.

And no, I don't consider myself exceptionally paranoid. I don't think I have anything to hide, of consequence, nor am I high profile enough that anyone with a brain should particularly care about me. Then again, I don't know what TPTB's automated algorithms have TOLD them are of consequence and I know for a fact that I am well outside one standard deviation from the mean in most behavioral traits and opinions. And this stuff is CERTAINLY philosophically rooted in "different equals suspicious."

And that is what bothers me more than anything. Automated anomaly detection defines a mean and attaches a cost for deviating from the mean. What a way to force a compliant population over time. As this shit has already shifted from "terra" to "drugs" (Well documented in the NYTIMES so don't waste bits denying it is happening) it'll start dribbling down to everything else.

Erase their database and cut their funding back sharply so they are forced to concentrate on actual, relevant threats to national security.