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A comment on What Happens When the Surveillance State Becomes an Affordable Gadget?. Parent comment

Re:What Happens When the Surveillance State Becomes an Affor... by LeifCarrotson on Sunday March 13, 2016 @02:43PM (#11278795)
The difference is that you had to have a human physically listening in. Now with the right access, a half-dozen people, and a few thousand dollars, an entire small town could be surveiled.

The fact that it's always been possible doesn't change the fact that it's only recently become practical.

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Re:What Happens When the Surveillance State Becomes an Affor... by coldtea on Sunday March 13, 2016 @04:57PM (#11279305)
People (even technies) always forget that technology is a multiplier, and a multiplier is an enabler for things that before would be impractical...

That something was already possible "back in the day" doesn't say much, if it was also impractical and costly to perform.

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