I see that "Trust _Not_123" is not from America.......so i can see why his oppinion towards this topic is nonchalant and does not realize the implications of what can happen if an innocent remark or comment is taken seriously by someone.......for instance , the CIA runs a computer that scans the phone lines here and scans for keywords.
Say for instance that you said to one of your friends , in a harmless conversation, " (I dont like this president, someone should assasinate him) ".
That is enough evidence to start an investigation on you...tap your phone lines, your computer, anything they deem necessary.
It also scans for two or more keywords in a conversation, such as anything to do with Govt, bomb, gun, etc. Before you know it you are the center of a conspiricy investigation just for voiceing your opinion, which here in America goes with the freedom of speech clause in our constitution.
Every day our right to privacy and our freedoms are comming under attack by people that use the excuse that its in our best interest or for public safety, now some people may call it paranoia, but these are are rights, guaranteed by our constitution that are slowly being taken away( for our own good of course that someone has decided for us) and we as citizens should have a say in how these laws are enacted and enforced.
What some dont realize is how far these laws can be taken.......say for instance you have downloaded MP3's from the net and keep them on your hard drive. After 30 days you are in violation of copywrite laws........now think what would happen if the record companies were supplied with your IP address and your name, etc.
Now they look in your computer and take it as evidence and think....every MP# downloaded can be an individual charge or violation....just think of some people with a couple hundred files, thats a couple hundred individual counts against you.
The laws are enacted to thwart criminal activity, terrorist activity, but few realize how far law enforcement agencys can stretch the boundries of the law in thier so called " duties" and has anyone even though of the users of this site being under scrutiny? Just the word "hacking" used in the sight description is enough for it to be monitered for " illegal activity" or anything that they deem illegal.