Oh dear. What privacy rights will any of us have left in a few years? This IS INDEED important journalism. It describes how powerful satellite technology - mostly spy satellites - have proved their usefulness in national emergencies and now there are moves to allow them to be used for domestic intelligence gathering, together with private companies. One concern is, once the government decided it wants some information, does that mean it will prevent the rest of us from getting and using it? Another is, what's the interaction between government and private groups? A third is, where's the legal line between what the Government can do absent a court warrant, what a private information gathering company can do, and then share ... More »

It is a rare politician of any Party, in any country that does not dream of being the Decider of a Dictatorship. Once established, it is very difficult to get rid of them. Civil War, anyone??

This opinion piece would be hilarious if it were not about a serious topic. The author knows nothing about surviellence in other countries: the word "London" or the abbreviation "UK" do not appear anywhere in the piece. There is no balance in the piece, nor is there much information. So the author deserves an F for total lack of knowledge of the subject.