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Comment by jusben1369 | Hacker News Reader

Imagine if you were listening in to communications on US citizens as part of an NSA program and you came across what appeared to be the distinct planning of a murder - one that had nothing to do with National Security now or in the future. What do you do? This is part of the interesting range of unexpected consequences when you stretch boundaries.

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Before the leak -- nothing probably. It would have revealed the existence of the program.

Now -- sure! They could just come knocking to the door. This is dark side of the leaks in way. If they know we know, they they can expand the use of the tool. (Or rather I should say this is the dark side of apathy to the information in the leaks, now they now public doesn't care enough).

The apathy is the scary part. I fear it would take a mass roundup of people before the "we need this because of X" people might start questioning it.

OTOH, it may be mental (illness?) for people to blindly follow authority.

This is the premise of person of interest - does raise some interesting moral questions for TLA officers.

Just watched full 2 seasons after recent HN recommendation. "Person of Interest" is a good series, and in some moments not-so-suprisingly-now scary.

Isn't this practically the plot of The Conversation?

No. The Conversation is a private spook doing surveillance.

tomato, tomahto -- your comment does make me wonder just how much the NSA contracts out its surveillance though. Remember, Snowden was working for Booz Allen Hamilton, not the NSA.

Words mean things. They form the basis of our laws. It is legal for a private spook to be hired by private persons or corporations to spy on others. It is illegal for a spook of any flavor to be hired by the government to spy on USians without a warrant or similar device.

Your last statement is really what all the fuss is about, though -- the government is trying to contravene how most sane people would interpret the Constitution, and legalize such activities.

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