> how could you possibly need more evidence than proof of visits to a website that distributes child pornography?
That question is misleading. What people is worried about is "How much power has the FBI to spy on ordinary citizens?". Even the worst authoritarian governments put assassins in prisons, but that doesn't justify their systems.
What we need is a balanced dialog about privacy. Yes, there are good uses to spying. Yes, spying is open to abuse from institutions and individuals for personal gain. Lets work inside the constitutional framework and create laws that empower good uses and limit bad uses instead. That's why we have separation of powers.
That question is misleading. What people is worried about is "How much power has the FBI to spy on ordinary citizens?". Even the worst authoritarian governments put assassins in prisons, but that doesn't justify their systems.
What we need is a balanced dialog about privacy. Yes, there are good uses to spying. Yes, spying is open to abuse from institutions and individuals for personal gain. Lets work inside the constitutional framework and create laws that empower good uses and limit bad uses instead. That's why we have separation of powers.