[wpietri]

The thing I would be wondering in a Congressperson's shoes shoes: what other things have I been doing that the CIA has been spying on?

Chilling effects indeed.

And for those inclined to brush that away as implausible, it might be time for a refresher on J. Edgar Hoover and his secret files on political leaders. [1] 50 years later, our tech is a lot better, so it would be much easier to gain inordinate power through surveillance.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edgar_Hoover

[sillysaurus3]

Late in life and after his death Hoover became a controversial figure, as evidence of his secretive actions became known. His critics have accused him of exceeding the jurisdiction of the FBI.[1] He used the FBI to harass political dissenters and activists, to amass secret files on political leaders,[2] and to collect evidence using illegal methods.[3] Hoover consequently amassed a great deal of power and was in a position to intimidate and threaten sitting Presidents.[4] However, according to biographer Kenneth Ackerman, the notion that Hoover’s secret files kept presidents from firing him is a myth.[5]

Seems some on Wikipedia disagree...

[wpietri]

Somebody disagrees that his files prevented him getting fired. Does anybody dispute that he kept files on political leaders that had information that they didn't want revealed?

[coldtea]

Some on Wikipedia are also on a payroll. Including in articles about commercial products and companies, but even more so in political articles.

[mattp123]

About that - I'm making an FF addon[1] that will alert you to users that self-report being paid by a third party, as required by a recently proposed ToS amendment[2].

[1] https://github.com/patriotpie/wiki-sanitize [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Terms_of_use/Paid_contributi...

[sillysaurus3]

Really? That's very interesting. Do you have a link or further info about that?

[nl]

There's a Wikipedia page about it[1]. More broadly, this Google search[2] will find plenty more incidents.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Congressional_staff_edits_...

[2] https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Staffer+edited+Wikipedia