The goal of the US governmentâ„¢s massive spying programs is not Å“public or national security but intimidation and blackmail,” says Linh Dinh, a political analyst and writer.
On Wednesday, the Guardian reported that documents provided by American whistleblower Edward Snowden show the US National Security Agency is using a secret tool, called XKeyscore, to collect data on nearly all online activities of a typical Internet user with no prior authorization.
The documents describe the secret program as the Å“widest reaching” system which can gather intelligence from computer networks.
NSA employees are just required to fill out an on-screen form which is not reviewed by a court before targeting online activities of American citizens.
Å“The big question over the NSA surveillance program is why? Why are they so eager to spy on their own citizens, and citizens of friendly countries?” said Dinh in a phone interview with Press TV on Thursday.
Dinh said the main goals of such massive spying programs are to intimidate political activists and dissidents and blackmail politicians.
Å“By knowing what everyone is up to, organized dissent can be snuffed out before it becomes a threat to the status quo, and by compiling files on all politicians and judges, the US can ensure that these public officials toe the line, because if they ever rock this Fascistic boat too aggressively, their private crimes, sins or transgressions can be exposed,” he said.
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Republished from: Press TV