dragnet

However, the dragnet is so wide that it can't help but catch some of what the NSA is looking for.

The story is that agencies that are tasked with foreign spying are spying dragnet-fashion on their own citizens and citizens of allies.

This wasn't a dragnet win: it just supplied additional evidence in a case that was already being built.

There is not much to be learned about pervasive, 24/7 dragnet surveillance from comparing it to one officer in one location.

The NSA dragnet is reprehensible and clearly dangerous to the integrity of the Republic.

Things like NSA dragnet surveillance are happening because it's what the people want.

There is a large uproar within the german people about what has been uncovered so far regarding dragnet surveillance, surveillance of politicians and now journalists.

In other words: once you pass a law that gives the government authority to dragnet communications, no matter how specific and overt the law is, the authority you've delegated does grave and intrinsic harm to transparency.

You can't defend such dragnet surveillance techniques as 'terrorist prevention'.

The only time I spent any time on it was to watch the mad faux-forensics dragnet over the Boston bombings and shake my head.

What people are concerned with is dragnet surveillance.

Look at the discussion over NSA dragnet surveillance.

Even with the dragnet surveillance in place, the only thing they've prevented are their contrived "plots" that they orchestrated.

I do think that a more moderate and "middle-of-the-HN-crowd" approach would actually entail something short of dragnet surveillance though.

Note that I don't claim: "The NSA has learned of at least one credible terror plot using the data that they have obtained through their dragnet.".

See also Mark Klein's denouncement of their AT&T spying, which prompted a lawsuit by the EFF back in 2006, charging them with having created an "illegal and unconstitutional program of dragnet communications surveillance".

Dragnet surveillance was never practical before, due to the ongoing manpower required.

Dragnet surveillance is not about terrorism.