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Majority of Americans Say NSA Phone Tracking Is OK To Fight Terrorism

Posted by Unknown on from the don't-want-to-get-onto-a-list dept.

An anonymous reader writes "While the tech media has gone wild the past few days with the reports of the NSA tracking Verizon cell usage and creating the PRISM system to peer into our online lives, a new study by Pew Research suggests that most U.S. citizens think it's okay. 62 percent of Americans say losing some personal privacy is acceptable as long as its used to fight terrorism, and 56 percent are okay with the NSA tracking phone calls. Online tracking is fair less popular however, with only 45 percent approving of the practice. The data also shows that the youth are far more opposed to curtailing privacy to fight terror, which could mean trouble for politicians planning to continue these programs in the coming years."

6 of 584 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Did anyone need reminding? by Rockoon · · Score: 5, Funny

    In other news, Pew Research has denied receiving a National Security Letter demanding that they release a poll with the numbers 62%, 56% and 45%.

    --
    "His name was James Damore."
  2. The War on Nose Hair by SirGarlon · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hush! Don't give the government its next pretext for an expansion of the police state! I can see it now: "nose hair complications are *deadlier than terrorism*"!

    --
    [Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
  3. Re:DID THIS SPYING PREVENT BOSTON? by Rob+the+Bold · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, did it?

    You have no idea what it has or has not prevented, which is the fact of the matter. For all you know the government thwarted several more 9/11s

    Except I know it was really my anti-terror rock that stopped them.

    --
    I am not a crackpot.
  4. Re:Bull Shit! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    When it comes to groups with normal "bell curve" distribution, there isn't much difference between average and median. Also - given how stupid the median person is, I don't think George expected them to know what median means. Take you, for example :)

  5. Re:Bull Shit! by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hope you don't 'look' gay...

    I look fabulous, thank you very much.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  6. Phone Survey about Phone Spying? by bengoerz · · Score: 3, Funny

    From TFA:
    The analysis in this report is based on telephone interviews conducted June 6-9, 2013, among a national sample of 1,004 adults 18 years of age or older living in the continental United States (501 respondents were interviewed on a landline telephone, and 503 were interviewed on a cell phone, including 247 who had no landline telephone).

    Is it really reasonable to survey the public's opinion of telephone spying via telephone?