> It remains to be seen if some of the capabilities get abused
I think it's axiomatic that whenever the tools for oppression are put in place it's only a matter of time before they are used. It'll start with something simple. Some national outrage which the party in government responds to by deploying the drones. Then it'll become normalized. And soon enough it'll become "but what have you to fear if you have nothing to hide" - which in a country with so many ways for everyday citizens to be in breach of its byzantine laws really means it becomes almost discretionary whether you're picked up for one thing or another unless you conform to the whims of the ruling elite.
I think Europeans (of which I am one, prior to becoming an American) tend to have a closer relationship to the abuse of totalitarian tools under the guise of good intentions (particularly those of us over a certain age).
I think it's axiomatic that whenever the tools for oppression are put in place it's only a matter of time before they are used. It'll start with something simple. Some national outrage which the party in government responds to by deploying the drones. Then it'll become normalized. And soon enough it'll become "but what have you to fear if you have nothing to hide" - which in a country with so many ways for everyday citizens to be in breach of its byzantine laws really means it becomes almost discretionary whether you're picked up for one thing or another unless you conform to the whims of the ruling elite.
I think Europeans (of which I am one, prior to becoming an American) tend to have a closer relationship to the abuse of totalitarian tools under the guise of good intentions (particularly those of us over a certain age).