[PJDK]

This would make things very different.

However I've not seen any suggestion that this is happening, nor is dragnet surveillance in any way a pre-requisite for this sort of thing.

It isn't the lack of means that stops democracies becoming dictatorships.

[cryoshon]

Check out JTRIG. The stated purpose is to degrade and disrupt all kinds of lawful and nonviolent organizations.

As far as democracy vs dictatorship goes, consider that there is a third (and probably many other) alternatives: inverted democracy: all the totalitarianism of a dictatorship paired with passive "participation" to rubber stamp the majority of the regime, which is not subject to any form of democratic oversight. I think we're headed there rapidly, if not already there.

Remember the study that showed that public opinion is less important than moneyed interests? That's part of it, too.

[mattgibson]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_totalitarianism

[AlisdairO]

Dragnet surveillance is not a prerequisite, but it makes it wildly more effective. Without it, when someone becomes an issue you have to dig into their past and try to find that which they haven't covered well in the intervening time. This is costly and can be circumvented given determination. Dragnet surveillance gives you a complete history of everyone at your fingertips. It makes oppression wildly cheaper and easier.

[justincormack]

This has definitely happened in the past, before dragnet surveillance. The fact that many uk politicians have found they have gchq files suggests it continues in some form.