No system of mass surveillance has existed in any society that we know of to this point that has not been abused.

Under observation, we act less free, which means we effectively are less free.

Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say.

These programs were never about terrorism: they're about economic spying, social control, and diplomatic manipulation. They're about power.

The NSA routinely lies in response to congressional inquiries about the scope of surveillance in America.

What we've seen over the last decade is we've seen a departure from the traditional work of the National Security Agency. They've become sort of the national hacking agency, the national surveillance agency. And they've lost sight of the fact that everything they do is supposed to make us more secure as a nation and a society.