[drasticmeasures]

You don't have to commit a crime to be targeted, spied on, harassed and have your life destroyed by the government.

When the government spies on innocent people en masse -- because they say they should have nothing to hide --, the government is the one doing harm to an innocent person, and it's the government who has something to hide.

Without accountability, and given the secret and anonymous nature of their interference, we can't trust that the government only spies on guilty people, because they will circularly claim that they are guilty because they are spied on.

And you shouldn't take solace that comparatively only a few innocent people get their lives destroyed, not just because it can happen to you, or because it shouldn't happen in the first place, but because not being accountable for their crimes gradually emboldens the government, and given advances in automation, to scale it up and encompass more of society until one day they come for you or your children.

[zby]

I agree - it starts with criminals - because it is an obvious target, but once the capabilities are built then they are used in whatever way the government likes.