Yes, the surface justifications for the surveillance programs of the NSA/GCHQ/etc. are one of public safety and national security, but I think the evidence inc

Yes, the surface justifications for the surveillance programs of the NSA/GCHQ/etc. are one of public safety and national security, but I think the evidence increasingly points to strategies whose primary intent is to protect the political and capitalist classes against an uprising. These intrusive efforts by the intelligence agencies are necessary simply to better shape public opinion and, if things truly go from bad to worse, to protect themselves. Improving the internet so that it is less susceptible to surveillance is an important effort, but one that does not address the underlying problems of current income inequality or future climate change, both which can (and more than likely will) become vessels for disorder.