Lawrence O'Donnell: Edward Snowden's Christmas Message Was 'Wildly Overblown,' 'Provably Untrue'

[Luminous Animal]

28. Privacy, as a political concept, is not merely the idea that you keep your thoughts to yourself.

Privacy is the idea that you can express your thoughts, via any medium, without the government collecting those thoughts.

So, not so insane. Broadcast, cable, and internet TV monitor your viewing habits... eBooks are rolling out software to monitor your reading habits... not just what kind of books you read but which passages you linger on and or return to, the ones that you mark, and whether or not you finish the book. Search engines track the websites that you visit and your search topics. Retail outlets track your purchasing habits. Municipalities are installing street cameras and face recognition capabilities and license plate readers. The government requires the passenger manifest for flights. Your cell phone can track your movements as can your transit passes. Social networks, including personal creations, compile your info.

We DO know that TelCos, are freely handing over their databases to the government under the sham of of sweeping warrants rubber stamped by ultra-right Republican judges.

All of this behavior... reading, watching, driving, riding mass transit, flying, shopping, the music and video that you write and perform, and socializing are all expressions of thought.