[MeinBlutIstBlau]

Coming from the country that had the Stasi, no. It's very bad. The Stasi was so smart, they knew it wasn't threatening you with violence that made you complicit, it's blackmail and threats to your loved ones or ruining your career. Also absurd types of guilt trips that make you feel obligated to comply with the objective of the state for other people.

[ncmncm]

Exactly this.

The best return on investment in surveillance is always, always, always extortion. The spooks like to extort by threatening to reveal crimes, or prosecute them. Ever heard of plea bargaining? Most often the promise of "reduced" charges is exchanged for participating in surveillance, yielding more victims and more pigeons. Spies like to get other kinds of cooperation, for other kinds of threats--including revealing that you already caved once. Some people have enemies who would act on revelations. Most people have relatives who wouldn't want them harmed. Judges have relatives. Ever wondered at Judges blatantly violating settled law? It is not always just because they felt like it. Since surveillance always involves official secrecy, it is easily and widely abused, and abuse is never, ever prosecuted.

Do you wonder why politicians stay exactly in line, these days? Think they just don't have any ambition, no independence, no cojones?

We already have a surveillance system in place that the STASI could only have ever dreamed of.

[inquirerofsorts]

> it's blackmail and threats to your loved ones or ruining your career

Something you'll find prevalent with some dissidents today. Many of them return "willingly" when presented with the alternatives.

[StavrosK]

So you consider legal wiretapping and following people immoral as well?

[ncmncm]

If it is cheap and easy, there is no reason to assume it will only, or even mainly, be legal.

[MeinBlutIstBlau]

The primary purpose for entities such as the FBI and CIA are to give autonomy to an entity that somewhat exerts the will of the ruling establishment by curtailing movements or organizations. Communism had no influence or money even remotely close to that of the mob. Yet who did they prioritize? Communists. They pick and choose whom the state wants to deem as enemies and exert their powers to silence them.