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Comment by gcb0 | Hacker News Reader

Isn't this what the NSA was started for anyway?

What is the surprise here? "Agency created to spy on foreign powers is spying on foreign powers"... really?

There's a difference between spying on foreign powers and spying on all of the citizens in the world. There is also a difference between spying and mass surveillance.

If the Americans were spying on foreign powers, or even my country's politicians I really would not be surprised.

For some reason they appear to be spying on me, specifically.

I do find that surprising, yes. Shocking, even.

Scary, certainly. What will they do if I say something they don't like? How will I know? Who is deciding whether what I am saying is acceptable?

Because I am against this spying, have the Americans started monitoring me more carefully? Will they contact my government for more information?

My job is contractor to a local business that receives a lot of business from my government. Could that be affected by my private communications? One of my friends is a bit of an anti US nut. Will my communications with him put me at greater risk?

> What will they do if I say something they don't like? How will I know?

By denying entry to you on your next vacation or business trip to the United States.

This is one of the reactions that always comes out on this kind of story. Yes, the department of killer zombies is just doing its job, eating peoples' brains. But I'm starting to think maybe we shouldn't have a department of killer zombies.

I am not sure if an average Brazilian thinks of themselves as a "foreign power".

Would you be happy to have the government of a random country, say Russia, Brazil, Albania or whereever, reading your emails?

Exactly!

Holy fark! its simply mind boggling that anyone can be ok with the level of spying we are seeing.

The thing is that they are simply too farking comfortable to see how bad this is.

I farking HATE the fact that there is an easy statement of " 'well, American Idol is on..' " -- and to see that it is true.

The war is on the minds of Man. There is and has been a centuries long war on your ability to discern.

Well, the Federative Republic of Brazil is a democratic republic, with elections for their president every four years, so that does imply the average Brazilian has a little bit of power that is foreign from the US perspective. (If you buy this whole democracy thing, you might think that's good!)

I wonder if a restoration to monarchies would encourage agencies of the crown to keep their spying to other royal and powerful persons, since then the average subject would indeed have no power.

Isn't this what the NPTA was started for anyway?

What is the surprise here? "Agency created to torture puppies is torturing puppies"... really?

I think the argument here is the general polulations data is subject to being recorded and analyzed.

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