What the average American citizen does not realize is that government intrusion that Snowden revealed only begins to scratch the surface of what they are willing to do to the average American citizen in the name of "National Security". Understand that we live in a era of big data, but it's people that ultimately make sense of it all. The result of this are humans who have been given the power of omniscience over your lives. What's more, with the magic of statistics combined with an understanding of human psychology. We live in an era now were when you type enough words, express enough opinions and search enough websites, you literally bear your entire soul to strangers.
Consider that Google.com likely knows more about your sexual interest than even your spouse based upon your search criteria. It also knows your location, spending habits, political viewpoints, and even your mood based upon your search patterns. Since the unveiling of the much lauded internet 2.0, programmers have been able to process more data about your searches and activities than ever before. Now consider social media. CNN.com Discuss boards employ a "Brand Lift" metrics system produced by vizu.com. You've never heard of brand lift metrics, you probably haven't heard of vizu. That's because it's an API that meant to sit silently in the background as it records and analyzes your activity. "Vizu Audience Incite is the first real-time attitudinal audience characterization solution for online brand advertising, allowing our customers to validate reach against custom or niche target audiences." Attitudinal is exactly what it sounds like, attitude. By "Validating Reach" Vizu.com allows it's customers, like CNN to pick and choose what comments are deemed worthy according to the Brand of politics they wish to Sell to you. In effect, the 'social media' they provide is merely an extension of their advertising. The goal is to influence your opinion, and get your like on facebook, not hear your discourse. There's no reason to think that any major news organization behaves any differently.
The ability to correlate so much data, combined with the pervasiveness of the internet in our lives, has allowed the government to acquire almost god-like powers of semi-ominiscients over most Americans. I say semi because the information they acquire is not perfect, there are always gaps. How far would they go to attain perfect information if they thought it was necessary? What would they do and would they really care about what rights they violated in the process? We like to believe that they the government doesn't violate the rules and laws it establishes, that maintaining rules and laws actually mean something to them. Though if you examine the history of this country, to believe so would be naive.
Many mass killers and terrorist tend towards high interest in politics and mental illness such as depression and anxiety. Now consider that these traits also define a portion of the American population, especially since depression and anxiety is highly prevalent but under-reported. Now that the government is capable of correlating enough data to determine which of it's citizens share these traits, would it not be prudent for the government to keep tabs on this segment of the population? After all, in the name of national security anything can be ultimately justified. Or is it about safety at all? A few high profile incidents in a country that loses thousand per year to gun violence are hardly justified in expending so many resources when it appears to have such a small impact on your overall safety. And yet the news will obsessively tell clue into the profiles of a few crazy killers, all the while ignoring the legitimate threats like robberies, and murders that occur more frequently among sane individuals.
Inherently the government expects you to trust them as they do this. They'll tell you it's for the security of the nation, when in actuality it is only for the security of the 1%. The government considers self preservation beyond all else, even the people they claim as citizens. This is why they create continuity of government plans, that don't involve saving anything more than the leadership. In cases of extreme emergencies the government is designed to outlast the people it claims to protect. If they need to, they will cut their losses and reside over your ashes. The 1% who controls 90% of all that is America consider the least important part of the American equation the American citizen. You speech is "free", but is it really?
