On a more positive note, this could be a real boon for future historians, if the data is made available to them hundreds of years from now. By mass recording a

On a more positive note, this could be a real boon for future historians, if the data is made available to them hundreds of years from now. By mass recording a sizeable chunk of the world's electronic communications, they effectively have crystallised human culture at that point in time. It would be fascinating to see the equivalent from, say, 500 years ago. (Reminds me a bit of the plot of The Light of Other Days [1], where wormhole technology is used to peer anywhere into the past.) Unfortunately the intelligence community will likely just keep such data secret, and continue to use it for their own suspect ends. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Light_of_Other_Days http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Light_of_Other_Days