Majority Views NSA Tracking as Acceptable Anti-terror Tactic

[RunInRed 16,991]

A bit surprising to me ...

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center and The Washington Post, conducted June 6-9 among 1,004 adults, finds no indications that last week’s revelations of the government’s collection of phone records and internet data have altered fundamental public views about the tradeoff between investigating possible terrorism and protecting personal privacy.

...

A majority of Americans – 56% – say the National Security Agency’s (NSA) program tracking the telephone records of millions of Americans is an acceptable way for the government to investigate terrorism

...

And while the public is more evenly divided over the government’s monitoring of email and other online activities to prevent possible terrorism, these views are largely unchanged since 2002, shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks

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Currently 62% say it is more important for the federal government to investigate possible terrorist threats, even if that intrudes on personal privacy. Just 34% say it is more important for the government not to intrude on personal privacy, even if that limits its ability to investigate possible terrorist threats.

More: http://www.people-pr...-terror-tactic/

[AU64 10,122]

Guess I'm not too surprised by the numbers. Most despotic governments have strong public support for their efforts to protect the country from (name the bad guys.....usually the US)....and like Chavez or Castro or the guys in Iran, they make frequent speeches warning their people what will happen if everyone is allowed to have open access to the internet or the freedom to make a phone call without someone listening in. Over the ages guys like Hitler, Stalin and others have known how to whip up fear in the general population and eventually people are almost eager to give up their freedom in exchange for being safe.

[autigeremt 6,970]

The misinformation spewed by the media and our leaders have led to the decay of a once free society. It may be too late to reverse.

[cptau 169]

the average person does not understand how much tracking can be done using that data.

[channonc 466]

I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the results. Unfortunately, fear often causes people to give away their freedoms needlessly.

[autigeremt 6,970]

I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the results. Unfortunately, fear often causes people to give away their freedoms needlessly.

Oh my! That's twice in a three month period!

[alexava 6,974]

Instead of "Majority of Americans", it should read "Reasonable Americans".

[DKW 86 7,726]

You could have read the same thing in 1930s Germany...

[homersapien 11,812]

Guess I'm not too surprised by the numbers. Most despotic governments have strong public support for their efforts to protect the country from (name the bad guys.....usually the US)....and like Chavez or Castro or the guys in Iran, they make frequent speeches warning their people what will happen if everyone is allowed to have open access to the internet or the freedom to make a phone call without someone listening in. Over the ages guys like Hitler, Stalin and others have known how to whip up fear in the general population and eventually people are almost eager to give up their freedom in exchange for being safe.