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Does the Federal government not understand that this (idiotic) mass scale surveillance is bad for business? All the big American companies generate most of thei

Does the Federal government not understand that this (idiotic) mass scale surveillance is bad for business? All the big American companies generate most of their revenue outside of the US. Majority of the user-bases of the big Silicon Valley tech companies are foreign. This only works if there is a level of trust in the American system and American government. What are they thinking?!?!

workhere-io 13y ago
What are they thinking?!?! They clearly aren't.
bobzibub 13y ago
I would have thought that it would worsen big business yet be great for independent consultants setting up their clients' own private email and file sharing operations. A net positive for the economy, I'd guess.
btbuildem 13y ago
Decentralization is good.
coldtea 13y ago
>Does the Federal government not understand that this (idiotic) mass scale surveillance is bad for business? Emmm, it's the business interests that ask for those kind of things. You think the politicians operate on a vacuum? The idea is to get a stable climate where the business interests (multinationals and such) can do as they please, and citizens are afraid.
- rafcavallaro 13y ago
  That's objectively false - Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Facebook (among others) have all been at pains to distance themselves from NSA data collection precisely because they understand how bad the NSA's behavior is for their business.
  - coldtea 13y ago
    >That's objectively false - Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Facebook (among others) have all been at pains to distance themselves from NSA data collection precisely because they understand how bad the NSA's behavior is for their business. For one, I wasn't speaking of those kind of business interests. Those companies are complicit in doing it, not those that benefit most from it. It's finance, infrastructure, industry, oil, millitary, etc. Second, it's not like a CEO goes and asks his senator about it. It's an emergent consensus, developing from lobbies, campaign financing, policy meetings with the "giant of industry", think tank meetings, policy advisors etc, about what's best for the continuation of the status quo, keeping the people quiet, squashing dissidents and labour demands, the improvement of the country's diplomatic might (which acts as a multiplier for business interests inside the country), etc.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
  - minor_nitwit 13y ago
    PUBLICLY, they have (Yahoo appears to be honestly resisting), Microsoft on the other hand was cracking open Skype before they even had taken the bow off. From a PR standpoint, whether you are for or against the NSA program, you absolutely have to oppose it as an online multinational business.
squozzer 13y ago
Your assertion (a correct one in my view) probably explains a good bit of the vitriol about Mr. Snowden's recent disclosures.

workhere-io 13y ago

What are they thinking?!?! They clearly aren't.

bobzibub 13y ago

I would have thought that it would worsen big business yet be great for independent consultants setting up their clients' own private email and file sharing operations. A net positive for the economy, I'd guess.

btbuildem 13y ago

Decentralization is good.

coldtea 13y ago

>Does the Federal government not understand that this (idiotic) mass scale surveillance is bad for business? Emmm, it's the business interests that ask for those kind of things. You think the politicians operate on a vacuum? The idea is to get a stable climate where the business interests (multinationals and such) can do as they please, and citizens are afraid.

rafcavallaro 13y ago
That's objectively false - Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Facebook (among others) have all been at pains to distance themselves from NSA data collection precisely because they understand how bad the NSA's behavior is for their business.
- coldtea 13y ago
  >That's objectively false - Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Facebook (among others) have all been at pains to distance themselves from NSA data collection precisely because they understand how bad the NSA's behavior is for their business. For one, I wasn't speaking of those kind of business interests. Those companies are complicit in doing it, not those that benefit most from it. It's finance, infrastructure, industry, oil, millitary, etc. Second, it's not like a CEO goes and asks his senator about it. It's an emergent consensus, developing from lobbies, campaign financing, policy meetings with the "giant of industry", think tank meetings, policy advisors etc, about what's best for the continuation of the status quo, keeping the people quiet, squashing dissidents and labour demands, the improvement of the country's diplomatic might (which acts as a multiplier for business interests inside the country), etc.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- minor_nitwit 13y ago
  PUBLICLY, they have (Yahoo appears to be honestly resisting), Microsoft on the other hand was cracking open Skype before they even had taken the bow off. From a PR standpoint, whether you are for or against the NSA program, you absolutely have to oppose it as an online multinational business.

squozzer 13y ago

Your assertion (a correct one in my view) probably explains a good bit of the vitriol about Mr. Snowden's recent disclosures.