I'll admit and agree that it is in fact "government over reach" regarding the collection of personal data of Americans.  However, a couple of things come to mind.

 

1.  They will do it anyway, only rather than it being "known" or "transparent" it would be done covertly and secretly.  Here's a news flash.  This has been going on for many years and isn't likely to change anytime soon regardless of who is in the White House.

 

2.  Most of the data collected are going to be internet and cell phone related and more specifically, communications related.  They are not "watching you" through cameras or webcams or smart TV's.  While being able to do so is possible, it's more likely than not happening because the data potentially gathered is not "high value" in terms of what they are looking for.

 

Do I approve of the massive collection of personal data?  It's a slippery slope, especially in today's world.  On the one hand I want our government to have the necessary tools in order to combat and fight the evil that exists in the world today.  On the other hand, I have no interest in anyone, especially the government getting access to my personal information without my approval.  Of course, because of my job the government does have all of the personal information on me that they could want, but it was with my approval and me disclosing it to them.

 

This thread is about China being able to access information through online access.  I blame the fact that they were able to do so on incompetence of people the hold the information, as well as the "Ignorant and careless approach" that most people take for granted in today's world.  Monitor and watch virtually anyone on Facebook, Twitter, online forums, etc. and you can get a pretty good profile on someone.  You can also come up with solutions for most of the "security" that exists in today's "cyber world".

 

The bottom line is, it's easy for a foreign government to exploit our weakness.

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