The article is fear-mongering with a drip of reality, too much like commercial news.

If someone didn't think all of their personal electronic interactions: SMS, gmail (if you still have one), banking info weren't being cursorily evaluated by echelon or other tinfoil hat system ... blackball the moron.

I'm interested in by-invite-only HN alternatives w/ lower noise and higher signal. (I'm no longer using HN as a primary news source and refuse to disclose which I do use.)