Under observation, we act less free, which means we effectively are less free.

There is now the capacity to make tyranny total in America. Only law ensures that we never fall into that abyss—the abyss from which there is no return.

The way things are supposed to work is that we're supposed to know virtually everything about what they [the government] do: that's why they're called public servants. They're supposed to know virtually nothing about what we do: that's why we're called private individuals.

The NSA routinely lies in response to congressional inquiries about the scope of surveillance in America.

Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say.

These programs were never about terrorism: they're about economic spying, social control, and diplomatic manipulation. They're about power.