[alistair77]

I am very reluctant to draw parallels between real-life and fiction, but the steady stream of stories from the US from Bradely Manning to Snowden to Barrett Brown is making the possibility of a 1984 style state a real possibility. I have never been under any illusion that my data was safe from prying eyes but the extent of the lies, undemocratic procedures and brutality has shocked me. The commercialisation of intelligence, the penal system and war is adding to the issue.

I don't fear for the privacy of my data; I do feel very anxious about the world that my children will inhabit as adults.

EDIT: I'm not making out this a US-only problem.