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The ‘What if’ problem of government surveillance

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

Count me in the camp of people who aren’t worried about the NSA dragging me away because of communications I’ve had on the phone or online. But there’s one big problem with secret government surveillance of data on U.S. citizens: the “what if” problem. While our current political system doesn’t seem to punish people recklessly for speaking up and excercising free speech, that could always change. And that’s the heart of the issue, to me. We can’t know what the future holds for our political system, and because of that, we need to be vigilant in protecting our First Ammendment rights.

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