--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The internet has to be protected from…" description: "\"The internet has to be protected from intrusive monitoring or else the medium upon which we all rely for the basis of our economy and our normal life, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/edward-snowden-555_bases_the-internet-has-to-be-protected-from-in_3160869.jpg" --- # The internet has to be protected from intrusive monitoring… ![“The internet has to be protected from intrusive monitoring or else the medium upon which we all rely for the basis of our economy and our normal life, we'll lose that, and it's going to have broad effects as a consequence that we cannot predict.” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/edward-snowden-555_bases_the-internet-has-to-be-protected-from-in_3160869.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/edward-snowden-555_bases_the-internet-has-to-be-protected-from-in_3160869.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/edward-snowden-555_bases_the-internet-has-to-be-protected-from-in_3160869.jpg) > “The internet has to be protected from intrusive monitoring or else the medium upon which we all rely for the basis of our economy and our normal life, we'll lose that, and it's going to have broad effects as a consequence that we cannot predict.” [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The internet must be shielded from invasive surveillance; otherwise, its economic and societal foundations become unpredictable and vulnerable. **In simple terms:** Protect the internet from surveillance. Key Takeaway Guard digital freedoms. Themes privacy surveillance digital rights economy society Mood cautious urgent Type political ethical When to use this quote - online banking - e‑commerce - social media - government data collection Key Concepts civil liberties security technology policy Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can individuals adopt? - How should societies regulate digital monitoring? A Different Perspective Balancing security and privacy is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bases/) [Broads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broads/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Effects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effects/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Internet Protected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet-protected-5712602/) [Intrusive Monitoring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intrusive-monitoring-5712603/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loses/) [Medium Rely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medium-rely-5712605/) [Mediums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediums/) [Monitoring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monitoring/) [Monitoring Medium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monitoring-medium-5712606/) [Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal/) [Normal life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal-life/) [Protected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protected/) [Protected Intrusive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protected-intrusive-5712604/) [Rely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rely/) ## Related quotes > [By creating a self-policing, self-reporting, sort of self-monitoring culture through law, through statute, and imposing that on the academic world, I think not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/by-creating-a-self-policing-self-reporting-sort-of-self-monitoring/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [ Before 2013, if you said the NSA was making records of everybody's phone calls and the \[Government Communications Headquarters\] was monitoring lawyers and journalists,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/before-2013-if-you-said-the-nsa-was-making-records-of-everybody-s/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [I believe in having each device secured and monitoring each device, rather than just monitoring holistically on the network, and then responding in short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/i-believe-in-having-each-device-secured-and-monitoring-each-device/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [Who cares what the state thinks about your relationship? They're giving you tax breaks and this and that - it's just nonsense. You want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-peck/who-cares-what-the-state-thinks-about-your-relationship-they-re/) [Dale Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-peck/) > [They had been monitoring the site for a very long time, and at times, I received over 100 hits from the Department of Defense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-austin/they-had-been-monitoring-the-site-for-a-very-long-time-and-at-times-i/) [Sherman Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-austin/) > [God is in the mountains. Impassive, immovable, jagged giants, separating the celestial from the terrestrial with eternal diagonal certainty. As if silently monitoring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/god-is-in-the-mountains-impassive-immovable-jagged-giants-separating/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) > [By monitoring auroral activity on exoplanets, we may be able to infer the presence of water on or within an exoplanet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/by-monitoring-auroral-activity-on-exoplanets-we-may-be-able-to-infer/) [Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/) > [A robust internal auditing program shows its presence both at the beginning and end of continual improvement projects. In the beginning, internal audits identify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-novak/a-robust-internal-auditing-program-shows-its-presence-both-at-the/) [John Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-novak/) > [Europe has been in the grip of a very serious economic crisis for few years, so there have been major cuts to anti-terrorist funding,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-napoleoni/europe-has-been-in-the-grip-of-a-very-serious-economic-crisis-for-few/) [Loretta Napoleoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-napoleoni/) > [Real equality is immensely difficult to achieve, it needs continual revision and monitoring of distributions. And it does not provide buffers between members, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-douglas/real-equality-is-immensely-difficult-to-achieve-it-needs-continual/) [Mary Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-douglas/) > [I think the danger right now is that without effective inspections, without effective monitoring, Iraq can in a very short period of time measured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-ritter/i-think-the-danger-right-now-is-that-without-effective-inspections/) [Scott Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-ritter/) > [Now, as far as monitoring is concerned, what my point is, we need to make sure that any place - I don't care whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/now-as-far-as-monitoring-is-concerned-what-my-point-is-we-need-to/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [You can be sure that Judicial Watch is investigating and monitoring the responses of our government to the coronavirus threat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-fitton/you-can-be-sure-that-judicial-watch-is-investigating-and-monitoring/) [Tom Fitton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-fitton/) > [It turns out umpires and judges are not robots or traffic cameras, inertly monitoring deviations from a fixed zone of the permissible. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/it-turns-out-umpires-and-judges-are-not-robots-or-traffic-cameras/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## More by Edward Snowden > [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/much-of-what-i-saw-in-geneva-really-disillusioned-me-about-how-my/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The NSA and Israel wrote Stuxnet together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-nsa-and-israel-wrote-stuxnet-together/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [As a general rule, so long as you have any choice at all, you should never route through or peer with the UK under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/as-a-general-rule-so-long-as-you-have-any-choice-at-all-you-should/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [ \[Brazil\] went to the UN and said, "We need new standards for this." We need to take a look at what they're calling "data… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/brazil-went-to-the-un-and-said-we-need-new-standards-for-this-we-need/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [You are also asked to take an oath, and that's the oath of service. The oath of service is not to secrecy, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/you-are-also-asked-to-take-an-oath-and-that-s-the-oath-of-service-the/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We need to think about encryption not as this sort of arcane, black art. It's a basic protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-need-to-think-about-encryption-not-as-this-sort-of-arcane-black/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [A lot of people in 2008 voted for Obama. I did not vote for him. I voted for a third party. But I believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/a-lot-of-people-in-2008-voted-for-obama-i-did-not-vote-for-him-i/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Too often we forget that social and political movements don't happen overnight. They don't bring change immediately - you have to build a critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/too-often-we-forget-that-social-and-political-movements-don-t-happen/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [ There was a real choice when \[Barack Obama\] became president. 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I think we would if it was triggered. If China said they want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-don-t-want-to-go-into-space-because-of-war-i-think-we-would-if-it/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [According to the best research, less than 3% of Americans have written goals, and less than 1% review and rewrite their goals on a daily basis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/according-to-the-best-research-less-than-3-of-americans-have-written/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [When the Lord Jesus Christ became my surety . . . 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