> In a compartmentalized ("need to know") environment, it can be hard or impossible to know the real purpose of any particular task. There are definitely a lot

> In a compartmentalized ("need to know") environment, it can be hard or impossible to know the real purpose of any particular task. There are definitely a lot of areas that wouldn't suffer from this problem. I'd be surprised if a cryptographer couldn't distinguish between working on civilian signals intelligence vs military (since the first will be using published ciphers). Any how far does the scope of assisting the organization go? If you work for the FBI in a non-surveillance capacity, are you still part of the machine since the FBI and NSA cooperate on counter-terrorism? Should everybody at the FBI with a conscience quit because some in the organization have taken advantage of overextended surveillance powers?