A Quote by Glenn Greenwald

No matter the specific techniques involved, historically mass surveillance has had several constant attributes. Initially, it is always the country’s dissidents and marginalized who bear the brunt of the surveillance, leading those who support the government or are merely apathetic to mistakenly believe they are immune. And history shows that the mere existence of a mass surveillance apparatus, regardless of how it is used, is in itself sufficient to stifle dissent. A citizenry that is aware of always being watched quickly becomes a compliant and fearful one.

Glenn Greenwald

Quote Topics

Always Apathetic Apparatus Attributes Aware Bear Becomes Being Believe Brunt Citizenry Constant Country Dissent Dissidents Existence Fearful Government Had Historically History How Immune Initially Involved Itself Leading Marginalized Mass Matter Mere Merely Quickly Regardless Self Sufficient Several Shows Specific Stifle Sufficient Support Surveillance Techniques Those Used Watched

Quote Author

Glenn Greenwald
American - Journalist
Born: March 6, 1967

History shows that the mere existence of a mass surveillance apparatus, regardless of how it is used, is in itself sufficient to stifle dissent. A citizenry that is aware of always being watched quickly becomes a compliant and fearful one.

Glenn Greenwald

A citizenry that is aware of always being watched quickly becomes a compliant and fearful one.

Glenn Greenwald

We have to call mass surveillance mass surveillance. We can't let governments around the world redefine, and sort of weasel their way out of it by saying this is bulk collection.

Edward Snowden

Someone recently talked about mass surveillance and the NSA revelations as being the atomic moment for computer scientists. The atomic bomb was the moral moment for physicists. Mass surveillance is the same moment for computer scientists, when they realize that the things they produce can be used to harm a tremendous number of people.

Edward Snowden

The issue I brought forward most clearly was that of mass surveillance, not of surveillance in general.

Edward Snowden

Closed Circuit' came out of a general anxiety about surveillance. Government surveillance and private surveillance.

Steven Knight

I think mass surveillance is a bad idea because a surveillance society is one in which people understand that they are constantly monitored.

Trevor Paglen

I have used mass surveillance to target people, so I do know how it works.

Edward Snowden

Various "wars on drugs" throughout history have killed millions, enslaved millions more, destroyed families, are usually just thin pretenses for mass incarceration, mass surveillance, ethnic cleansing, population control.

Kool A.D.

When we have some horrible terrorist attacks happen in some country we see in the recording that follows, that the intelligence community already knew about these people in advance. We know that these countries were involved in intelligence sharing premiums, that they benefited from mass surveillance, and yet they didn't stop the attacks. Yet at the same time we immediately see intelligence officials running to the newspapers and claiming that we need more surveillance, that we need more intrusion, that we need more expense of powers because it could have stopped an attack.

Edward Snowden

Martin Luther King was a victim of surveillance, and had great solidarity with victims of surveillance.

Cornel West

Many of our ally states don't have these constitutional protections - in the UK, in New Zealand, in Australia. They've lost the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure without probable cause. All of those countries, in the wake of these surveillance revelations, rushed through laws that were basically ghostwritten by the National Security Agency to enable mass surveillance without court oversight, without all of the standard checks and balances that one would expect.

Edward Snowden

We long to have a home where civil freedoms are respected, where our children will not be subject to mass surveillance, abuse of human rights, political censorship and mass incarceration.

Joshua Wong

Bringing an end to mass government surveillance needs to be a central pillar of returning to the principles we have put in jeopardy in the early 21st century.

Yochai Benkler

Today we are at a crossroads. The technology is available for two great options: The massive surveillance state, or the renewed freedom of a deeply-involved citizenry thinking independently and holding the government to the highest standards.