One side-effect of that data being collected, though, is that a technologically advanced country like China could quite easily pilfer the data for their own pur

One side-effect of that data being collected, though, is that a technologically advanced country like China could quite easily pilfer the data for their own purposes, not to mention the Five Eyes who don't even need to steal it! For actions in public anyway (like protests), that doesn't particularly matter, but it could be disastrous if anonymity is being relied on: British investigative journalist Joe Bloggs wants to research a country's human rights abuses. Joe visits said country with a strong alibi, and covertly discovers the truth. He returns to Britain, publishing under a pseudonym a critical newspaper report exposing the matter. The British intelligence services note that he did so, not because he's under suspicion for anything but simply because they can. The country that he was researching intercepts that intelligence, learning of the journalist's pseudonym. What do you think is going to happen to poor Joe when he revisits the country to do some more investigation?