I had the same reaction. (1) they are a spy agency and (2) we had Snowden. People who reacted incredulously to it online just reveal themselves to be uninform

I had the same reaction. (1) they are a spy agency and (2) we had Snowden. People who reacted incredulously to it online just reveal themselves to be uninformed, or politically motivated, in my opinion. At this point, I feel our intelligence agencies were founded to counter moves by major foreign powers. And every day Russia is allying itself more with the Republican party. It's a classic divide and conquer strategy spread out over a hundred years. First, attack from the left w/communism. Then, the right with fascism. I have to feel intelligence agencies are the free public's allies at this point, and now I see why Obama and Clinton were so fearful of encryption. I'm not sure whether Clinton's idea of a Manhattan-style project on breaking encryption was right or not. My initial reaction was no way. I wonder what that would look like. Quantum computers? Now, it appears bad actors have leapt to the top of government and the DOJ seems to be sluggish in building a case against them. Perhaps they can't gather evidence as quickly due to encrypted chat apps and hidden money transfers like Bitcoin.