<story><title>They Know Much More Than You Think</title><url>http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2013/aug/15/nsa-they-know-much-more-you-think/?pagination=false</url><text></text></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>uptown</author><text>If what we believe to be true is in-fact true regarding data collection - isn&amp;#x27;t every future President compromised?  Somewhere, in the massive archive of phone calls and emails and financial transactions that make-up the digital profile of their path from birth to the door of the White House is a lie, or a half-truth, or something that doesn&amp;#x27;t quite mesh with the public persona they represented in order to attain elected office.  Somewhere in that archive is something in their past that could be used against them in a way that would render their Presidency impotent at the very least.  Wouldn&amp;#x27;t those with access to this information use that for their own gain?  To show the newly elected President what they know, and leverage him or her to make things happen in a manner that benefits their objectives.&lt;p&gt;Now step down the ladder of power and authority.  Couldn&amp;#x27;t the same methods be used against Senators?  Congressmen and women?  Or maybe judges, mayors, police chiefs?  Stock Markets?  Banks?  CEOs?  College admissions boards?  The potential targets are endless and infinite.&lt;p&gt;A brilliant quote from Sneakers:&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;There&amp;#x27;s a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it&amp;#x27;s not about who&amp;#x27;s got the most bullets. It&amp;#x27;s about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it&amp;#x27;s all about the information!&amp;quot;&lt;p&gt;The world where these things are possible scares the hell out of me - because I fear that the amassing of this information will inevitably lead to its abuse.</text></comment>
<story><title>They Know Much More Than You Think</title><url>http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2013/aug/15/nsa-they-know-much-more-you-think/?pagination=false</url><text></text></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>ArkyBeagle</author><text>&amp;quot;The value we are trading away, under the surveillance 
programs as presently constituted, are quality of 
governance. This is not a debate about privacy. It is a 
debate about corruption.&amp;quot;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.interfluidity.com/v2/4435.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.interfluidity.com&amp;#x2F;v2&amp;#x2F;4435.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;Orwell himself could not have said it better.</text></comment>