Crashing the Wiretapper's Ball

Indeed....

Wired News: Crashing the Wiretapper's Ball:

"You really need to educate yourself,' he insisted. 'Do you think this stuff doesn't happen in the West? Let me tell you something. I sell this equipment all over the world, especially in the Middle East. I deal with buyers from Qatar, and I get more concern about proper legal procedure from them than I get in the USA.'
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Well, perhaps the Qataris are conscientious,' I said, 'and I'm prepared to take your word on that, but there are seriously oppressive governments out there itching to get hold of this stuff.'

He sneered again. 'Do you think for a minute that Bush would let legal issues stop him from doing surveillance? He's got to prevent a terrorist attack that everyone knows is coming. He'll do absolutely anything he thinks is going to work. And so would you. So why are you bothering these guys?'

'It's a valid question,' I insisted. 'This is powerful stuff. In the wrong hands, it could ruin political opponents; it could make the state's power impossible to challenge. The state would know basically everything. People would be getting rounded up for thought crimes.'"