It's interesting that you've asked this question, because I've seen an odd parallel between privacy laws and gun control laws: There's a segment of the populat

It's interesting that you've asked this question, because I've seen an odd parallel between privacy laws and gun control laws: There's a segment of the population that feels an inherent human right to knowledge/guns. Another segment of the population is worried about threats to their privacy/safety. Only a rare fringe argue that knowledge/guns are inherently evil, but it's also a rare fringe that admits that knowledge/guns can't be used for evil. For instance, I could use (data mining)/guns to (find southpaws to kill)/(kill southpaws I find). Those in favor of knowledge/guns tend to argue that the threats posed by knowledge/guns can really only be combated by more knowledge/guns. For instance, knowledge/gun advocates argue that the only real security comes from using knowledge/guns to (locate threats)/(shoot threats). Privacy/(Gun control) laws fundamentally restrict our ability to gather knowledge/guns. Now, I'm not arguing that what the NSA did was right. I'm pissed that the NSA spent my tax dollars collecting this beautiful data sent and won't even let me read it. I want to start data mining every e-mail you've sent, every website you've visited, and every location your cell phone has been. If the thought of me doing that makes you uncomfortable, you now know how I feel about your guns. Of course, I don't begrudge you your guns. Just because they make me feel uncomfortable doesn't mean that you lose your rights to own them. In the same way, I hope that you respect my right to gather your personal information, even if it makes you uncomfortable.