I concur. I once knew someone who worked for GCHQ, making hardware devices. Once it was revealed to me the extent to which he was involved in producing these heinous devices, I lost all respect for him - especially when his authoritarian side came out and he justified his continued involvement by implying that the lives of my children were at stake because "secret reasons I can't tell you about".

NO! THIS IS NOT HOW A FREE SOCIETY WORKS!

The corruption of government begins with its secrets. A truly free people keep no secrets.

If you continue to justify this corruption, you are encouraging the downfall of Western society. We did not attain the heights we have through secrecy and class warfare disguised as security theatre.

We must discourage involvement in these organizations to the same degree that we discourage teenagers from going on jihad. It is truly the same degree of bigotry and intolerance which allows such machinations to persist in our society - on the one hand, violent extremism. On the other hand: covert extremism.

My former GCHQ-supporting associate recently left, to start his own hardware company in an unrelated (non-surveillance-state) field. As much as I appreciate his design and skill at producing appealing devices (synthesizers), I strongly boycott his business. We must punish this "secret clearance class" of society with utter disdain, disrespect, shame and discouragement. We must not let future generations rise to assume that this totalitarian/authoritarian control system is the norm - it may be too late, but nevertheless, civil discouragement must be perpetuated in light of the total failure of our supposed democratic institutions to protect us from this covert violence.