First, > For many people, privacy is a fundamental right - they see no reason why a government should be meddling in my affairs without a more specific reason

First, > For many people, privacy is a fundamental right - they see no reason why a government should be meddling in my affairs without a more specific reason than a blanket search for possible terrorism. ... this is not about blanket searches, and: > I'm not saying that privacy is an absolute. Foiling criminal activity often means breaching privacy - a database of phone calls can be helpful tool to investigate a criminal network.