I worry a lot that the lionizing of Binney and the too-perfectly-named THINTHREAD is a kind of retconning, and that very few of us would be comfortable with the implications of a fully-realized Binney-designed THINTHREAD either.

From what I've read, THINTHREAD is also a system that involves widespread and intrusive monitoring of US communications. THINTHREAD purports to use "encryption" to solve the privacy problems that arise from retaining information about US citizens. I am not reassured.