Why isn't everyone freaking out about the information that private industry (Google for example) gathers about our personal activities? At least when government gathers data they have the goal of fighting terrorism and protecting us. Private interests are not out to protect us, they are out to exploit us. It is the year 2013, people need to get used to the idea that electronic communications are not private and you should assume that anyone and everyone could be monitoring them. If for some reason you require secure communication there are encryption products and methods that you can take to gain the required security, or better yet do not transmit the information electronically.
I wish the world was a nicer friendlier place, but sadly it is not. Government's number one responsibility is to protect the safety of its citizens. Fighting terrorism with armies is ineffective, it costs needless lives and makes more enemies. Intelligence is the way to fight terrorism, but the price we have to pay for effective intelligence is a loss of some privacy. You cannot have it both ways, if the you insist on idealistic safeguards of privacy, you hobble the intelligence efforts that are trying to protect you. Do not delude yourself, as I said above, if you think your electronic communications are private you are sorely mistaken.
| 
