Look at it through this lens: the EFF is seeking to educate the public on the dangers of mass surveillance. The HN crowd is disproportionately aware of how suc

Look at it through this lens: the EFF is seeking to educate the public on the dangers of mass surveillance. The HN crowd is disproportionately aware of how such systems operate and their implications, while the public has little understanding of it. The headline summarizes the issue very succinctly. What is the issue? Installing massive networks of surveillance gear will eventually erode freedoms and impact people in ways that many people would disagree with. Regardless of how "standard" the described usage of the system might be, the fact remains that the mechanisms available to agencies now are pretty stunning in their scale and reach, and that much of the public is unaware, doesn't care because they don't know enough to care, or believes such a system would never be misused.