[harkyns_castle]

Any time I read this type of article, I keep recalling what irritated the hell out of me with the Snowden leaks and responses of US citizens. To paraphrase: "It's terrible they're spying on US citizens (but everyone else is fair game, geez, whack a splicer in that fibre channel asap)".

The US has reinvented the concept of borderlines on the Internet with what the NSA/TLAs have been up to. I'd say that's a distinct step backwards.

[Tloewald]

The response of most US citizens has been, "Snowden?"

But then there are plenty of people on HN who should know better who are outraged, OUTRAGED to discover the US is spying on people, but seem to have no issues with their own and other governments spying on them. So it's ignorance and hypocrisy all-round.

[harkyns_castle]

Well, all of the Five Eyes are complicit, no argument there. Certainly a top-heavy weighting from the US though, with basically control of the net, and a stellar budget. The peons just follow the marching orders.