[nceqs3]

> people who write them $100,000 checks

Which law enforcement agency is writing $100k checks? There are no commercial interests in Section 702. In fact, if any, they would be against 702 (as Verizon doesn't like having to deal with it).

[TaylorAlexander]

Law enforcement are a means to an end. They don't lobby for themselves, but other powerful interests lobby on law enforcement's behalf.

Said more directly - powerful people want more law enforcement against the common people and they will lobby for it.

[dragonwriter]

> They don't lobby for themselves

Law enforcement (both agencies and law enforcement personnel collectively separately from any agency) absolute do lobby legislators directly, and the public, for themselves.

[TaylorAlexander]

Oh, I mean yes they do. But also more powerful groups lobby for law enforcement as well because the security state is good for big business.

[GTP]

It really depends on the kind of business, because one could also argue that surveillance is an additional cost to companies that are forced to help with it by intercepting their customers. Unless those same companies get paid by the government to do so, I'm not a USA citizen so I don't know exactly the situation there.

[nceqs3]

Common people generally don't like terrorism.

[soraminazuki]

> There are no commercial interests in Section 702.

Oh sure, NSA's budget just sits there never to be used. It's definitely not being used to pay contractors, buy equipment, or build data centers contrary to what we learned from the Snowden disclosures. /s