Most Americans Think Courts Are Failing To Limit Government Surveillance

Nerval's Lobster writes "More than half of Americans believe that the federal courts have failed to limit the U.S. government's collection of personal information via phone records and the Internet, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. But that's nothing compared to the 70 percent who believe that the government 'uses this data for purposes other than investigating terrorism,' according to the organization's summary of its survey. Another 63 percent of respondents indicated they thought the government is collecting information about the content of their communications. The Pew Research Center surveyed 1,480 adults over the course of five days in July. 'The public's views of the government's anti-terrorism efforts are complex, and many who believe the reach of the government's data collection program is expansive still approve of the effort overall,' the organization's summary added. 'In every case, however, those who view the government's data collection as far-reaching are less likely to approve of the program than those who do not.' Some 47 percent of those surveyed approved of the government's collection of phone and Internet data, while 50 percent disapproved. Among those who thought the government is reading their personal email or listening to their phone calls, some 40 percent approved of the data collection, even as 58 percent disapproved. There's much more, including how opinions of government surveillance break across political party lines on the Pew Research Center's Website."

Survey text...

[globaljustin]

Here's the text of the 'survey' questions and results from TFA...it is instructive on many levels:

'Do courts provide adequate limits on what is collected?'
Yes=30% No=56% don't know=15%

'Is the government using this data ...'
'Only for anti-terro'r=22% 'Also for other purposes'=70% don't know=7%

'Is the government collecting ... '
'Only metadata'=18% 'Also content of phone calls and email'=63% don't know=18%

the 63% from above question were asked asked 'Have YOUR calls or emails been listened to or read?'
Yes=27% No=28% don't know 8%

'Overall view of the program'
Approve=50% Disapprove=44% don't know=6%

Pew Research Center July 17-21, 2013 Figures may not add to 100% because of rounding.

It is an astoundingly awful survey.

Just look at how they question what survey respondents thing the government is doing with the data being collected. There are two options:

1. 'Only for anti-terror' and 2. 'Also other purposes'

It is obviously worded with bias. If the respondent thinks that the government does **anything** other than one very specific thing they will have to chose #2...that's not a logical breakdown of a binary choice and it implicitly acknowledges that there are other than a binary option in the text of the question (use of the plural for 'purposes'...).

I'd wager 90% of the surveys reported on the news are of this level of scientific rigor...

Re:Spot On

[jkflying]

Dunno about 'best armed' either. When I was in Mozambique, as we were driving out we got pulled over by a police truck because our front licence plate had been knocked off. In the back of the truck were 8 guys with AK-47s. And this wasn't some SWAT team or anything, just a truck patrolling the highway and enforcing traffic rules.

Anyway, we bribed them ~$100 and they let us go. It was either that or have our vehicle impounded for the weekend.

Re:Hai Amerikanz, I can haz pazwords...

[Hatta]

One only need to look at the City of Boston to see the full force of the Militarized Police State. One man, wounded and half dead, and the whole town goes Apeshit poo flinging crazy. Martial Law.

Indeed. And compare the situation in West, Texas the very same week, where corporate greed lead directly to the deaths of 15 people and no one responsible has been arrested. That's how you can tell that the law has nothing to do with keeping people safe, and everything to do with keeping the rich rich.

Re:Hai Amerikanz, I can haz pazwords...

[Hatta]

The West Fertilizer Company Explosion [wikipedia.org]. They illegally held hundreds of tons of explosive fertilizer without reporting it in order to avoid safety regulations. As a result, 15 people died. That's murder just as surely as if they had thrown a bomb into a marathon.

The Oligarchy

[fyngyrz]

A totalitarian government that objected to soda would just ban soda you wouldn't have light regulation in a few cities.

Oh. You mean the way they ban pot and various other recreational drugs. The way they tell you how many windows your home has to have (and where.) The way they monitor your bank account, your communications, your travel. The way they shoot your family pets. And your family. The way they lie about the government's goals. The way they step all over the document that gives them the right to exist -- our constitution. Yep, I agree. It's not the soda bans in a few cities that made this land into the corporate oligarchy is it today; it's a whole bunch of other things. All of which are well in play.