[lbo-talk] Fwd: Hands off my metadata

[Marv Gandall]

PS - it's mainly the political and corporate elites who are most concerned about snooping. European political leaders, for example, presently developing their negotiating position for trade talks with the Americans, don't like the NSA eavesdropping on their conversations, while corporations everywhere are always worried about the theft of their commercial secrets. No wonder the cyber-intelligence arms race has given rise to one of the fastest growing hi-tech industries.


> I think it's safe to say most people would counter that pervasive state surveillance IS about their safety, about reducing the possibility of a terrorist attack by "any means necessary".  They're far more frightened of being caught in a terrorist attack than about their personal records ending up in a government data bank. Many are resigned to this being the case already. 
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> Fear is a far more powerful urge than the need for privacy, especially in the Facebook era. 
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> The Snowden affair has promoted calls for strengthened oversight, which should be supported in principle, although typically the agencies set up to administer such safeguards act as a rubber stamp for the intelligence services and only promote the illusion of democratic control.
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> I'll be happily surprised if a mass campaign develops against Big Brother. But, as Occupy showed, unemployment, debt, stagnant incomes, widening inequality, the threat to social programs, control of congress by the monied interests, etc. have a greater potential to rouse the public.
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