NSA Leaks - fascinating/tough questions
After watching Charlie Rose last night, two very tough questions seem to surface. I wish I had easy answers.
1) We want our privacy, and we want to be protected from terrorism, but where is the balance (knowing consensus isn't possible)? If our privacy is fully protected, terrorists will have more success, that's not acceptable to most citizens presumably. If government has unhindered access to any private info they want (not acceptable to most citizens presumably), it gives them better odds of preventing terrorism. So in today's world, we have to sacrifice some privacy, and accept some vulnerability to terrorism?
2) Many are objecting to the NSA's broad access to all US citizens personal phone metadata without approval (not content if I understand correctly, that does require legal approval). With Google, Facebook, Yahoo!, Amazon and everyone else gathering up (more) private data on us - why a bigger uproar when the NSA gathers phone metadata as part of counter-terrorism?
And advances in technology will only make these questions tougher in time. It's 1984?
__________________
No one agrees with other people's opinions; they merely agree with their own opinions -- expressed by somebody else. Sydney Tremayne
Retired Jun 2011 at age 57
Target AA: 50% equity funds / 45% bonds / 5% cash
Target WR: Approx 1.5% Approx 20% SI (secure income, SS only)
|