Acquisition Quote by Barton Gellman
“As digital communications have multiplied, and NSA capabilities with them, the agency has shifted resources from surveillance of individual targets to the acquisition of communications on a planetary scale.”
About This Quote
Source Article: The New York Times, “The NSA’s Global Surveillance Program,” 2013
The NSA now focuses on mass data collection worldwide rather than targeting specific individuals.
In simple terms: NSA shifted from spying on people to spying on all communications.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the trade‑off between security and privacy.
Themes
surveillance
privacy
technology
government
Mood
concerned
critical
analytical
Type
political
informative
cautionary
When to use this quote
- policy debates
- corporate data handling
- personal communications
- legal challenges
Key Concepts
mass data collection
global monitoring
intelligence strategy
Questions to Reflect On
- How should societies balance security and privacy?
- What safeguards can limit overreach?
A Different Perspective
Mass surveillance raises concerns about civil liberties and data security.
![“I believe that when [senator Ron] Wyden and [senator Mark] Udall asked about the scale of this, they [the NSA] said it did not have the tools to provide an answer. We do have the tools and I have maps showing where people have been scrutinised most. We collect more digital communications from…” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/549/edward-snowden-555_america_i-believe-that-when-senator-ron-wyden-an_201712.jpg)
![“No one suffers so much as he [the genius] with the people, and, therefore, for the people, with whom he lives. For, in a certain sense, it is certainly only "by suffering" that a man knows. If compassion is not itself clear, abstractly conceivable or visibly symbolic knowledge, it is, at any rate…” quote by Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bec/otto-weininger-11319_acquisition_no-one-suffers-so-much-as-he-the-genius_20597.jpg)
