> The NSA does not appear to have the capability of analyzing all the data it taps in a way that would actually be considered intrusive. The intrusive nature o

> The NSA does not appear to have the capability of analyzing all the data it taps in a way that would actually be considered intrusive. The intrusive nature of this context is not so much the analysis of your personal data, but storage of it. When someone falls under the microscope, sensitive data collected in the past can be pulled from storage, effectively enabling retroactive surveillance. For example, the NSA essentially collects and stores everything they can on everyone, including American citizens. What makes American citizens unique is that they are afforded extra legal protections. However, these protections don't usually extend to the storage of data on US persons, but simply the "collection" and "interception" of said data, which, in NSA's odd legal nomenclature, can simply be translated to mean accessing data that is already stored. In my opinion, the best hope for real privacy is not storing data that enables retroactive surveillance in the first place.