[radicalbyte]

Our intelligence services have capabilities, it's not just the US. The Patriot / Cloud Act increase the scope outside of intelligence agencies. I'm of the opinion that for military intelligence there is a legitimate need to have some - black - capability. It should just be highly limited in scope.

[traceroute66]

> It should just be highly limited in scope

"should" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there.

I agree it is hard to escape some form of legitimate need for intel.

The concern with intel and the present US administration comes on the checks, balances and controls side.

We are after all dealing with an administration happy to conduct much of its most sensitive business on Signal using off-the-shelf phones.

[mc32]

I don’t think these issues only exist or have existed in this admin. Previous admins were tapping the phones of the heads of state of Europe. There was also mishandling of intelligence. Perhaps the magnitude is changed though I don’t have evidence for that.

Some of it I think is selective picking. Similar to election interference where we know quite a few foreign states like interfering with our elections but we typically only hear about one of those states as being the culprit. Now, obviously we like interfering as well (Ukraine in ‘14 and Iran today, though Iran would be less controversial) and many others over the years.