--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The government spying on people doesn’t…" description: "\"“The government spying on people doesn’t literally make programmers write worse code. It just leads eventually to a world in which bad ideas will win. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/paul-graham-7010_bad-idea_the-government-spying-on-people-doesn-t_1290685.jpg" --- # The government spying on people doesn’t literally make… ![“The government spying on people doesn’t literally make programmers write worse code. It just leads eventually to a world in which bad ideas will win. And because this is so important to hackers, they’re especially sensitive to it. They can sense totalitarianism approaching from a distance, as…” quote by Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/paul-graham-7010_bad-idea_the-government-spying-on-people-doesn-t_1290685.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/paul-graham-7010_bad-idea_the-government-spying-on-people-doesn-t_1290685.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/paul-graham-7010_bad-idea_the-government-spying-on-people-doesn-t_1290685.jpg) > ““The government spying on people doesn’t literally make programmers write worse code. It just leads eventually to a world in which bad ideas will win. And because this is so important to hackers, they’re especially sensitive to it. They can sense totalitarianism approaching from a distance, as animals can sense an approaching thunderstorm.”” [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Surveillance doesn’t directly degrade code quality, but it creates an environment where harmful ideas thrive and hackers become more alert to authoritarian threats. **In simple terms:** Surveillance fosters bad ideas and hacker vigilance. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant about privacy and ethical coding practices. Themes privacy surveillance ethics Mood cautious concerned Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - software design - policy making - activism - risk assessment Key Concepts political theory software development security Questions to Reflect On - How does surveillance affect your coding decisions? - What safeguards can protect against authoritarian influence? A Different Perspective Over‑regulation can stifle innovation and lead to unintended security flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-idea/) [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Government spying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-spying/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) ## Related quotes > [We're not interested in applications where you're spying on people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rana-el-kaliouby/we-re-not-interested-in-applications-where-you-re-spying-on-people/) [Rana el Kaliouby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rana-el-kaliouby/) > [Spying on people by magic is the same as spying on them in any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/spying-on-people-by-magic-is-the-same-as-spying-on-them-in-any-other/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“Yes I did, so what? They asked for it, nasty little things spying on people”, the dark shadow answered, crossing his arms in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-hamonou/yes-i-did-so-what-they-asked-for-it-nasty-little-things-spying-on/) [Linda Hamonou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-hamonou/) > [“There is no one for spying on people's actions like those who are not concerned in them”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/there-is-no-one-for-spying-on-people-s-actions-like-those-who-are-not/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [But the government spying on me was not done under the authority of a court warrant. That's why my case is even more dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/but-the-government-spying-on-me-was-not-done-under-the-authority-of-a/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [I think the government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/i-think-the-government-should-be-spying-on-all-arabs-engaging-in/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [The Obama administration says we only destroy the privacy of non-Americans. That is not true. The government is spying on Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-obama-administration-says-we-only-destroy-the-privacy-of-non/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [I'd say that one area where my political views have remained unchanged is that, I am opposed to the government spying on everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-morello/i-d-say-that-one-area-where-my-political-views-have-remained/) [Tom Morello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-morello/) > [Allowing the U.S. government to intimidate its people with threats of retaliation for revealing wrongdoing is contrary to the public interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/allowing-the-u-s-government-to-intimidate-its-people-with-threats-of/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Any analyst at any time can target anyone. 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But if you're trying to choose between two theories and one gives you an excuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/i-m-not-saying-there-s-no-such-thing-as-genius-but-if-you-re-trying/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [“This is a good plan for life in general. If you have two choices, choose the harder. If you're trying to decide whether to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/this-is-a-good-plan-for-life-in-general-if-you-have-two-choices/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [“When I was a kid I was constantly being told to look at things from someone else’s point of view. 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Places that sold 10 cases before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/we-don-t-have-to-go-that-far-to-sell-our-beer-because-our-immediate/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [I get a lot of criticism for telling founders to focus first on making something great, instead of worrying about how to make money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/i-get-a-lot-of-criticism-for-telling-founders-to-focus-first-on/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [“So the optimal plan, if you can manage it, is to have a few trusted friends you can speak openly to. 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