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It is also worth noting that the problem here is how easily the FBI can access your mail from GMail. Sneaking into a house requires sending agents into the fie
by betterunix 13y ago
It is also worth noting that the problem here is how easily the FBI can access your mail from GMail. Sneaking into a house requires sending agents into the field, watching a person to make sure they are not going to walk in on you, being very careful not to leave a trace or wind up on a security camera they set up, etc. The FBI only has so many people it can dedicate to these sorts of activities. They are not going to be able to do this to you, and your friends, and their friends; it's too costly and runs too high a risk of tipping off the target.
With GMail, the agents do not even need to leave their desks. Just fax the court order to Google, and a few hours later you have thousands of emails waiting for you to read. Want to read the emails of the targets' acquaintances? Just send another fax! Nobody has to know, just call it a national security matter!
- superuser2 13y agoRelying on inefficiency as protection against the government is rarely a good bet. We've already seen a dramatic increase in national security spending; they will obtain the resources they need. We need a new Wiretap Act to apply to non-voice communications.
- betterunix 13y agoInefficiency is the most important protection we have against tyranny. The entire design of our government reflects this: three branches, two houses of congress, checks and balances, limits on how laws can be enforced, etc. Inefficiency is the only thing that ever stood between the USA and tyranny. The real problem is that we have allowed the government to become far too efficient over the past few decades.