The young adults know that this type of surveillance has no presidence, and it is something that they will have to live with now that this technology exist - it is natural to ponder it's consequences. I'm afraid tyrrany is not far off - it is good they are worried!
This is the most hopelessly ignorant crop of Americans and young adults world wide in my lifetime. Phone tapping 24/7 has been going on since WWII. The FBI, DEA. CIA and NSA has been listening in to whatever they pleased for a very long time. Blaming this sordid history of blanket surveilance on Obama is light years past stupid.
"Carnivor" now known as "Prism" has been in existance since 2000. It is capable of looking at every bit of comunication.
Calling this kind of surveilance "liberal" policy is rediculous.
Every commercial computer has a back door.
Most of you people are fools.
Free speach does not mean you cannot be held responsible for what you say or see.
First, learn to spell the following words:
"Speech" (speach), ridiculous (rediculous), surveillance (surveilance), communication (comunication), existence (existance).
It's difficult to communicate with the illiterate.
Now to address your post:
The example you mentioned with phone tapping was only done against individuals, and usually with warrants, and was considered ILLEGAL if done without a search warrant.
Today, it is LEGAL to obtain a GENERAL SEARCH WARRANT for EVERYONE that can seize/search for ANYTHING.
For many years, the English government had used a "general warrant" to enforce its laws. These warrants were broad in nature and did not have specifics as to why they were issued or what the arrest was being made for. A general warrant placed almost no limitations on the search or arresting authority of a soldier or sheriff. This concept had become a serious problem when those in power issued general warrants to have their enemies arrested when no wrongdoing had been done. During the mid-18th century, the English government outlawed all general warrants. This study of the history of England made the American Founding Fathers ensure that general warrants would be illegal in the United States as well when the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1791.
And for the record: Free speech can only be limited by a JURY of your peers, not the government. The Jury has the final vote on whether or not you acted outside yo Free Speech rights.