[jkldotio]

It would certainly be useful to have all elite interactions (not the content) available in real-time to link with a revision controlled legal system. I.e. you could follow particular clauses in laws back to particular legislators, even in the early drafting process, and then see who they or their staff were talking to at that time (and potentially demand the content of those communications). But I believe the Bush administration used a private/party email system to stop their communications coming under the current Whitehouse rules. So any such system would have to include everything, a kind of lifelogging for anyone during their period in government.

I am sure they will object to this with the usual arguments about security implications and executive right. Amusingly citizens could reply "if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear".

[gcr]

Invading the privacy of politicians doesn't sound like a good idea.

It will only convince the qualified candidates, especially those who are (themselves) concerned about privacy, to not go into that field.

It will also make politicians used to the idea of ubiquitous privacy invasion. "Oh, see? I can live just fine underneath this," they think, "so why can't the general public?"