They are comparing information (stasi) with data (NSA).
Thats simply not a very constructive way to look at things.
Thats simply not a very constructive way to look at things.
Data is a collection of facts.
Information is data after context or analysis is applied.
A database of phone records is data, a report on the people a target has called is information.
They are two very different types of surveillance and especially in this context they are un-comparable.
Stasi didn't capture random noise. They captured activity from suspicious people. They weren't actually data mining but eavesdropping. They knew who their targets where, who they found suspicious.
Contrast that with the NSA who are looking to see if there are people who are suspicious that they then "pull a stasi" on.