NSA PRISM Data Mining Program - What is your opinion?

[dorkdotdan]

like i've said before, if you didn't do anything wrong you have nothing to worry about.

The government has its own special interests too.

[Ad Bot]

[Doomonkey]

The government has its own special interests too.

Like?

[ravencroft]

so the feds are going to see a bunch of people jacking it on cam for "horny skype girls"

well whatever always knew the government was a bunch of friends anyway

Pretty much yes.

[ultimamax]

To stop terrorists. There are too many independent portions of government and too many free thinkers for the US to turn into a real Big Brother state.

To stop terrorists? What the forget? "hahurr let's spend billions of dollars and monitor everyone with only the intentions to save a few thousand people in a decade"

Total bs. And the US is already transitioning to a BB state; look at the patriot act, or the ndaa.

[Robo]

Like?

oh, I don't know, maybe staying in power? appeasing lobbyists? keeping people stupid enough to not question things that the government does? or maybe getting people to think that they are inherently benevolent and would never do anything with their power that would be morally questionable?

and if you think that they wouldn't do any or all of the above just to stay up there in Washington and/or keep hold of any power they can grasp, I feel sorry for you.

If they have all this data on you, you better hope you never do something the government doesn't like. This is a lot more serious than many of you seem to believe, if they can pick out the people who are likely to oppose the government, or something they are doing, they can keep a close watch on them and monitor their actions. It's not just about terrorists, as they would lead you to believe, it's about keeping control over the population.

[ultimamax]

the thing is i don't think they're monitoring every single communication going on.  they likely have a crawler program that sifts through the data and picks out people with key backgrounds or with specific words.

no stuff, it'd be impossible for them to watch everything at once. but we deserve a degree of privacy; ever heard of the 4th amendment?

like i've said before, if you didn't do anything wrong you have nothing to worry about.

I've found an argument on reddit against this.

I am going to base my argument on a more philosophical level on what this does to us as a society. I probably wont change your view, but I will give you another perspective on the matter.
The whole thing is unsettling, the government knowing everything about you from what you watch on T.V. to what you purchase online, to what research gets you off and everything in between. Even your personal emails.. Don't you find that a bit jarring? It all reeks of 1984, when you have the government monitoring your every move.
There is a duality in the whole thing: on one end, society can feel a little safer knowing that the government, through this kind of surveillance, can stop a bombing and save hundreds of people. On the other end of the spectrum; This type of surveillance can also EASILY be used to control society.
Thinking in hypotheticals; What if the government decided to implement a curfew? No one outside past 10 pm unless they have legal documentation stating they are allowed to do so. The people don't like this, they want to protest or form some sort of activist group against this curfew. How are you going to organize that? Through digital devices, which the government monitors, and next thing you know, your activist group is all thrown in jail for conspiring against the government.
When you think about the bigger picture of it all, and what this type of authority could eventually become it kind of makes it seem more disturbing.
(I am taking a debate class and would really appreciate some feedback on how my argument was in general. I joined this sub to learn, but also to perfect my debate and logic skills. Thanks for the feedback.)

[IkeTheGeneric]

Isn't there a contract you have to agree to on sign-up for all these services?

How many of you thoroughly read through these contacts before agreeing to them? Who knows what kind of things you agreed to let them do with your "Private" information.

[Brian Smithers]

When in doubt
just use tor.

[devildogelite]

I hate when people say you have nothing to worry about if you don't do anything wrong.  What the government finds wrong can be a lot different than what the average person finds wrong.  Not everything the government finds wrong is illegal. Even if it was just illegal things why should we not value privacy?

[Robo]

Isn't there a contract you have to agree to on sign-up for all these services?

How many of you thoroughly read through these contacts before agreeing to them? Who knows what kind of things you agreed to let them do with your "Private" information.

EULAs started as a way for companies to limit warranties on goods and disclaim liability. These documents became widespread in the mid-1980s, when the growing popularity of software programs led vendors to seek new ways of limiting people's ability to copy their products. Also, many early EULAs prohibited reverse-engineering to prevent people from creating knockoff products that they would sell competitively. Eventually, the EULA became the choke-collar that it is today, limiting people's ability to talk about products, take them apart, and even remove them from their computers.

Many vendors won't let consumers look at the EULA before purchasing an item, which means people can't make informed decisions about what they're buying. Sometimes companies make their EULA so hard to find and difficult to read that even conscientious consumers feel at a loss to understand the terms to which they've agreed.

I admit, I picked out some the most relevent info from near the bottom of  this article: https://www.eff.org/wp/dangerous-terms-users-guide-eulas

[Harm94]

I hate when people say you have nothing to worry about if you don't do anything wrong.  What the government finds wrong can be a lot different than what the average person finds wrong.  Not everything the government finds wrong is illegal. Even if it was just illegal things why should we not value privacy?

I agree.

[Ipquarx]

I hate when people say you have nothing to worry about if you don't do anything wrong.  What the government finds wrong can be a lot different than what the average person finds wrong.  Not everything the government finds wrong is illegal. Even if it was just illegal things why should we not value privacy?

The government stated that it doesn't give a single stuff about the casual piracy that goes on now.

And if it isn't illegal, then they can't do anything about it anyway, so again, nothing to worry about.

[Tomcat]

The government stated that it doesn't give a single stuff about the casual piracy that goes on now.

And if it isn't illegal, then they can't do anything about it anyway, so again, nothing to worry about.

Wher has it stated that? Proof please.

[Harm94]

I have feeling once the government has enough surveillance in place they are just going to go ahead and do away with the 4th Amendment.

We are forgeted when there are people who think like this.

I'd rather be brainwashed and happy than dead.

[dorkdotdan]

I have feeling once the government has enough surveillance in place they are just going to go ahead and do away with the 4th Amendment.

We are forgeted when there are people who think like this.

The government started ignoring the constitution at about the 1940s