Checks and Balances

[Enoch the Red]

I think it has more to do with exhaustion and that no one was honestly surprised. This is something that's been talked about for at least the past 6-7 years when 2 AT&T whistleblowers came forward, and that timeline went back to 2002.

I remember the incident you're talking about, but I don't think it ever received much media attention. An article in Wired, maybe some minor coverage, but I don't think there was quite the same clarity in the information, or appreciation of what it meant.

[Flixy]

Call me cynical, but isn't part of the reason of a lack of outrage that outrage is usually fueled by politicians railing against it - but both parties and a lot of politicians knew about it or at least voted for the laws that allowed it, so they probably prefer a lack of outrage?

[Ominous Gamer]

I remember the incident you're talking about, but I don't think it ever received much media attention.

and yet people want to create conspiracies on current media coverage

[Enoch the Red]

and yet people want to create conspiracies on current media coverage

I think there's a world of difference between an AT&T technician finding a manual for a beam splitter and coming to the conclusion that it's entirely possible the NSA is vacuuming up domestic data and a contractor for the CIA releasing documents showing that the government is actively and indiscriminately doing so.

One relies on inference and supposition, the other on awful-enough-to-be-believable government Power Point Presentations.

[GGT]

and yet people want to create conspiracies on current media coverage

Things have changed a lot the last decade in "media" itself -- journalism/print news, network/cable TV news. Plus how people access info 24/7 through IT and social media. Millions of folks with cameras on their smart phones, and things like Twitter, is relatively new, but can make "news" go viral almost instantly.

It's not that news outlets didn't cover these things in '02 (or in the 70's).