Presidential Address.

This is nice, in theory but just because something isnt illegal doesnt mean people arent ashamed of something they enjoy. That information can be used to manipulate or blackmail someone into something. Also, as people looking from the outside in on someones life, things they do may seem out of place in normal context and they shouldn't have to explain themselves to anyone who thinks these things are a "flag". For example i research extremist of multiple things (feminism,racism,religious fanatics)to try to understand why they are like the way they are. It's simple to write them off as "crazy" its more complicated to try to understand where they are coming from so you can try to help them think more rationally. Its just a hobby, but i dont need a government investigator knocking on my door like "wtf man?"

Even if they know, they cannot prosecute. Not until they catch them in the act or have somebody catch them in the act.

It's only dangerous if privates have said information, cause the most valuable material thing we all have is our bank accounts. A government merely uses info on you to monitor suspicious activity. Let them, who cares.

Used to have frequent jokes with a IT friend about some Microsoft guy monitoring all our conversations on msn and we would occasionally just say hi and ask if he wanted to say something about the topic too...unfortunately no one ever replied!

Maybe for Italians, but there's something even more precious to Americans than bank account information.

That's our Social Security Numbers. With that, you basically stole the person's identity and can create all sorts of credit card debts and loans and whatnot, and they would be responsible to pay it.

That's why ID theft is such a serious thing.

The reason I frequent this forum.

Actually, freedom to live our lives without the government being involved in our business/businesses is the most precious thing Americans havehad.

Depends on your definition of good.

Ok gonna blow this up.

This entire thought process relies on the inherent assumption that those in governmental power are operating from a benign or beneficial position, which is horrifically incorrect. Those in governmental power never have nor ever will seek to benefit the general populace, they only seek to benefit themselves. Any benefits the population receives are merely a byproduct of the governmental entity benefiting themselves. Thus when analyzing the effects if governmental actions we need to take the position of a hostile government entity.

How can the government use this information to hurt you? Quite easily, if they bothered, they merely "leak" it to a public facing entity with the objective to destroy you socially. The best lies are ones grounded in just enough truth to lend credit to the rest. I know I'm able to take small details about your life and link them together such that they support the lies I would weave in to make you seem like such a horrible person that nobody would want to associate with you, much less hire you. The only reason the government isn't doing this is that they simply don't care, your too unimportant to them.

So lets take something bigger, and just to highlight out outrageous this is I'm going to reverse the political entity in the US government. So we have an extremely conservative government and they collect all this information about everyone. Prior to the next election the current administration analyzes the possible candidates of the opposite and compiles a bunch of personal life details of them. Upon their announcement of candidacy they hand this hit list over to their own parties candidate as ammunition to use in creating politically controversy. There is more then enough information that can be used to slander and make any candidate look horrible with the right spin. By protecting the current parties candidate and slandering the opponents candidate they could easily manipulate public perception and ensure their own party maintained power.

And that's just an easy one off the top of my head. People who have more time to sit around could easily dream up all sorts of ways to abuse such information to harm you. Have you ever bought anything remotely controversial? Have you participated in any discussion anywhere where you said something that could be take out of context and make you look bad?

Extremists rarely identify themselves as extremists, instead they believe they are moderate and everyone else is an extremest. The thing they all have in common is that they believe they are "fighting the good fight", for them it's a personal war against their opponents, who are anyone who doesn't fully 100% support their views. To them there can be no real compromise, only the acceptance of their viewpoint as the only viewpoint.

It's usually people who lack self identity and latch onto political activism as a replacement. They take the extremest view because to take anything less would be to acknowledge how weak and powerless they are. Studying them is quite fun though.

Nick Mundy helped tape the moon lading!
Edit: GDI.. I watched the white and nerdy one.. Too funny.

Material Altima, material.

Okay relax, we're talking hypotheticals.
Emphasis for me on "you're too unimportant". That's the key point to me, why should I a small girl living in the middle of nowhere studying in a lab all day, should be worried about my data being collected(by a government)? I sincerely doubt the government cares about anything of my boring life, or hopefully the life of most of us here.

I didn't think about that and it's also a topic that annoys me to no end. Too often politicians spend more time trying to discredit others than to support the ***they say.


I don't think so. I suppose in a sense a *** is controversial, but not on a political level lmao.

All the time.

The thing about "you're too unimportant" is that, all important people were once unimportant. You too might be important and influential tomorrow, who knows? And you don't want to give your adversaries any ammunition that can be used against you.

This ammunition can also be used to forge a case against you if you live anywhere under the rule of an authoritative regime. I know of such case on a personal level. I'm not sure if that risk is non-existent in democratic societies, but I don't think it's that simple.

I used to not care that much about privacy too, but I can see why people do now.

And I imagine a *** can certainly be used (at least as part of) in a smear campaign to make you lose plenty of potential supporters.

And why would wholesome family loving people support just a sex addicted fiend as yourself. You and your all night sex parties, why you'd just turn the whole nation into one giant scandal and spread STD's everywhere you go.

See how easily, like 60 seconds easily, I took a small minuscule fact about you and turned it into the night news by twisting and amplifying it. And that's without having the rest of your history, comments, votes, purchases, web searchs, lists of relationship partners, and so forth. If I had all that I could easily turn you into a monster in the public's eyes. And that's just me, imagine what a person who's dedicated their life into doing this and gets paid for it could do?

The most powerful thing in the world isn't money, oil, gold or technology but information. Knowledge is the true power of the universe and people shouldn't be quick to give it away.

I tell you that catalan throne will be mine in due time..!!

Life is not about material things.

This is very dangerous thinking.

I know, man! It's, like, OMG! What if I'm looking at distressed console tables at Ethan Allen and comparing them to Pier 1, and it, like, advertises Wayfair!!! Woah! We're through the looking glass here, people! There's obviously something amiss!

Its like, totally, the same thing dude!

the way Obama keeps rocking his head side to side in the video every time he tries to emphasize something is kinda comical

Must have been a glare on the teleprompter.

Yeah lets give weapons to the locals so Isis can steal them from the locals and use them on us or allies at a later date seriously. While you're at it just give them the guns you're gonna take away from the American people.

Deep bro, but it wasn't what I was talking about, so no one cares.

Almost everyone breaks the law every day, in at least several different ways. Issue with it being so convoluted.


That's not the point however, the line of thinking of "If you didn't do anything wrong then you have nothing to worry about." is exactly the same type of thinking that has allowed atrocities to happen throughout history, it's generally not a good idea to repeat that, as it didn't turn out so well.

Specially when you do follow the laws and you get shot in the face by law enforcement anyway~ Because thats a thing these days too~

^

There is always that. There's also the ones where they don't follow the laws and the officers go through a big ordeal because certain people lied, and the court of public opinion often ignores the facts.


Both are really messed up*

You know this level of paranoia calls into question the material you search for. Seeing as though you, yourself, went hog wild over the entire Bundy Ranch stand-off. What are you looking at? Anti-government militias?

I mean, I can make my assumptions about what rabbit holes you venture down if you're truly scared over internet surveillance.

Not sure about people's news sources. I mainly like to flip/browse between CNN, OAN, FOX, BBC and Reddit.

but anywho~ hearda few days back Obama appointed an ISIS czar or w/e the *** that means. Supposedly the guy appointed is a Hamas sympathizer. How can a pro anti-terrorism govt have individuals that support these groups? i don't get it

It's the federal government. Since when do they get anything right, especially this administration?