General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: EVERY SINGLE INSTANCE of a discussion instigated regarding Greenwald's character [View all]Armstead
(47,803 posts)By its very nature, secret data mining and other forms of snooping is done in secret.
And if average people have no chance of knowing how closely they are being monitored and spied upon, there is no basis to control those doing the spying...abd so they go merrily on looking into every's linin closets.
So it is necessary for lights to be shined on, at least the overall nature and extent of this. Thats the only way we as a society can ever determine what is and is not an aporopriate level of syrveillance to maintain security.
Unfortunately, since the people doing the secret spying are not inclined to tell the public what they are up to, Whistleblowers are necessary. And the personal imperfections of those who come forward -- or those who report it in the news media -- should not be the focus, as long as the information is correct.