Should the U.S. Government Use Corporations to Gather Information on Private Citizens?

[AtlBo]

I recall a while back, AT&T was caught red handed passing phone call recordings and e-mails to the NSA. How would you feel if you found out that MS was botting OneDrive for your ideas or your PC for information to pass to Federal security agencies? How would you feel if you found out it had happened in the past?

I am totally against this. Don't know if it's happening, so maybe someone knows more than I. The reason I would be against this is that corporations cannot be trusted with private information in my opinion. Who knows who would get the first look at anything found and also who knows who would create the bot and with who knows what for an agenda. This is over the edge for me. Too many ways for a company to steal precious and valuable ideas. Let the U.S. snoop for itself if it's going to snoop.

This is really interesting, but I think it hides alot of deep ugliness, like the U.S. government depending on IPs for cooperation, amongst other things:

Domestic Surveillance Techniques - Our Data Collection Program

Again, I would say let the U.S. government develop a way to snoop on its own. I feel this would be healthiest.

This quote is interesting on the termination of bulk collection of phone records:

In mid-2015, Congress passed the USA Freedom Act sadly ending this valuable bulk collection program for the time being.

AT&T-NSA scandal:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/u...-nsa-spy-on-an-array-of-internet-traffic.html

In the name of security, Microsoft has granted itself too much leeway for scouring through users ideas and documents. There are probably others, too. I hope something is done about this.

 

[jamescv7]

There are so many different views regarding the data collection of information.

In reality that should be invalid but the problem where some citizens does not care without knowing that it can be use for unspecified reason in the future.

Thus a normal habit in the nature.

 

[Fritz]

According to the paradigm that anything that can be used will be used, I'm all for collecting data sparingly in general. On top, it shouldn't go through countless hands in order to reach those who need it. In this case the government wants data, so they might as well collect it.

Then again, they shouldn't be collecting hoot either without probable cause. Monitoring everybody clearly goes against everything modern justice and police work stand for.

You think somebody commited a crime or is conspiring to do so? Go to a judge, present probable cause and have him issue a warrant. Tap his phone, his internet, heck, his wife, I don't care. But don't monitor everybody on god's green earth because they could eventually commit something. Might as well lock us all up proactively, then we'll all be safe, right?