Slashdot Mirror
Majority of Americans Say NSA Phone Tracking Is OK To Fight Terrorism
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."
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that. -- philosopher George Carlin
The philosopher George Carlin wasn't very bright either. Half of all people are stupider that the median. "Average", while not a precise mathematical term, is generally understood if used without qualification, to refer to the arithmetic mean. This is one reason I try to avoid calling others stupid - it's very easy to embarrass yourself.