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Your opinion feels a lot like "I don't have anything to hide" kind of argument. We should just not be spying on people without express probable cause. We alread

Your opinion feels a lot like "I don't have anything to hide" kind of argument. We should just not be spying on people without express probable cause. We already have built in tracking for cells phones that people don't seem to realize or care. The other point is that we've seen nothing but continued confirmation that absolute power corrupts absolutely. The police (et al) have shown that they can't be trusted with this power.

nine_k 5y ago
The poster's point is that even lawfully collected info is sensitive, and the forces that collect it should be structured so that spilling or misusing it would be curbed by checks and balances.
- raxxorrax 5y ago
  There hasn't been a check after the illegal surveillance was made public though, so it doesn't exist in reality and it is unlikely to change.
xanaxagoras 5y ago
> We already have built in tracking for cells phones that people don't seem to realize or care. It's in most cars, too.
afpx 5y ago
How do you get probable cause (say, for a potential terrorist attack) without spying? People organizing mass violence tend to hide their tracks pretty well. Personally, I think the risk of terrorist attacks is pretty low compared to other risks. But, at a certain point it needs to be addressed.
- perfecthjrjth 5y ago
  That's what "parallel construction" achieves!!
- pjc50 5y ago
  In the case of Jan 6th, people were overtly organizing it on Facebook, and this is gradually showing up in indictments. There's a real problem that nonspecific calls for violence are both free speech and an increasingly normal part of political discourse - "someone should do something about those guys" isn't specific enough to be an actionable threat, but enough of them and they'll get turned into a stochastic terrorism event, where the mass shooter leaves a binder full of "someone should do something about those guys" messages which were his rationale.

nine_k 5y ago

The poster's point is that even lawfully collected info is sensitive, and the forces that collect it should be structured so that spilling or misusing it would be curbed by checks and balances.

raxxorrax 5y ago
There hasn't been a check after the illegal surveillance was made public though, so it doesn't exist in reality and it is unlikely to change.

xanaxagoras 5y ago

> We already have built in tracking for cells phones that people don't seem to realize or care. It's in most cars, too.

afpx 5y ago

How do you get probable cause (say, for a potential terrorist attack) without spying? People organizing mass violence tend to hide their tracks pretty well. Personally, I think the risk of terrorist attacks is pretty low compared to other risks. But, at a certain point it needs to be addressed.

perfecthjrjth 5y ago
That's what "parallel construction" achieves!!
pjc50 5y ago
In the case of Jan 6th, people were overtly organizing it on Facebook, and this is gradually showing up in indictments. There's a real problem that nonspecific calls for violence are both free speech and an increasingly normal part of political discourse - "someone should do something about those guys" isn't specific enough to be an actionable threat, but enough of them and they'll get turned into a stochastic terrorism event, where the mass shooter leaves a binder full of "someone should do something about those guys" messages which were his rationale.