--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Technology has enabled government to have…" description: "\"Technology has enabled government to have investigative and situational awareness on a scale and scope that were science fiction when the Stasi shut it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/yochai-benkler-33032_awareness_technology-has-enabled-government-to-hav_2836760.png" --- # Technology has enabled government to have investigative… ![“Technology has enabled government to have investigative and situational awareness on a scale and scope that were science fiction when the Stasi shut its doors.” quote by Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/yochai-benkler-33032_awareness_technology-has-enabled-government-to-hav_2836760.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/yochai-benkler-33032_awareness_technology-has-enabled-government-to-hav_2836760.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/yochai-benkler-33032_awareness_technology-has-enabled-government-to-hav_2836760.png) > “Technology has enabled government to have investigative and situational awareness on a scale and scope that were science fiction when the Stasi shut its doors.” [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technology now gives governments unprecedented investigative reach, far beyond Cold War era limits. **In simple terms:** Governments can monitor more than before. Key Takeaway Recognize privacy risks and demand oversight. Themes surveillance government power privacy technology ethics Mood concerned critical Type political analytical When to use this quote - policy making - public debate - activism - journalism - legal reform Key Concepts mass data collection state monitoring civil liberties Questions to Reflect On - How should societies limit state surveillance? - What safeguards protect privacy? A Different Perspective Balancing security with individual freedoms is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) [Doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doors/) [Enabled Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enabled-government-3695765/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Stasi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-stasi-3695764/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Investigative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-investigative-3695762/) [Investigative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investigative/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Scale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scale/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) [Scope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scope/) [Shut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shut/) [Situational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situational/) [Situational awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situational-awareness/) [Stasi Shut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stasi-shut-3695763/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Technology Enabled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology-enabled-554140/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) ## Related quotes > [“IT savvy boards will have the advantage of pulling enough resources and pushing the technology-enabled business change and innovation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/it-savvy-boards-will-have-the-advantage-of-pulling-enough-resources/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [Seattle is a fantastic place to build a great technology-enabled consumer company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-levitan/seattle-is-a-fantastic-place-to-build-a-great-technology-enabled/) [Dan Levitan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-levitan/) > [“technology enabled mercy,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-e-modesitt-jr/technology-enabled-mercy/) [L.E. Modesitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-e-modesitt-jr/) > [Technology has enabled an environment where information is constantly fed to us on a real-time basis. You can't slow the feed of information, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-paliwal/technology-has-enabled-an-environment-where-information-is-constantly/) [Dinesh Paliwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-paliwal/) > [I would love to do a biopic or a situational comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huma-qureshi/i-would-love-to-do-a-biopic-or-a-situational-comedy/) [Huma Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huma-qureshi/) > [Accept the FacT that, Sometimes people have to Lie in order to Save Themselves from Too Much Shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/accept-the-fact-that-sometimes-people-have-to-lie-in-order-to-save/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [The difference between being a victim and a survivor is often a low level of situational awareness. You can't be a super-spy, watchful and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/the-difference-between-being-a-victim-and-a-survivor-is-often-a-low/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [I don't have any favourites, but I like situational comedies, not forced ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushmita-sen/i-don-t-have-any-favourites-but-i-like-situational-comedies-not/) [Sushmita Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushmita-sen/) > [“With its continued dismissal of the law of God in ethics, Fundamentalism expressed both a "spiritualized" form of situational ethics and a "Christianly submissive"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-l-bahnsen/with-its-continued-dismissal-of-the-law-of-god-in-ethics/) [Greg L. Bahnsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-l-bahnsen/) > [“There is always a solution to any challenging situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/there-is-always-a-solution-to-any-challenging-situation/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I like situational comedy when people are being completely serious and yet you can find something extremely funny, not jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-robinson/i-like-situational-comedy-when-people-are-being-completely-serious/) [Bruce Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-robinson/) > [As a media artist and filmmaker, I'm constantly considering the role of situational context when creating my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-silva/as-a-media-artist-and-filmmaker-i-m-constantly-considering-the-role/) [Jason Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-silva/) > [I want to try something on situational comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neena-gupta/i-want-to-try-something-on-situational-comedy/) [Neena Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neena-gupta/) > [I prefer situational or character-based humor to gross-out gags and comedic set pieces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-graynor/i-prefer-situational-or-character-based-humor-to-gross-out-gags-and/) [Ari Graynor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-graynor/) > [Well, I think first of all there was a failure to have real, clear information at our disposal. There was a real lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/well-i-think-first-of-all-there-was-a-failure-to-have-real-clear/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) ## More by Yochai Benkler > [Anonymous is not an organization. It is an idea, a zeitgeist, coupled with a set of social and technical practices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/anonymous-is-not-an-organization-it-is-an-idea-a-zeitgeist-coupled/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) > [Imperfection is a core dimension of freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/imperfection-is-a-core-dimension-of-freedom/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) > [Like crime, terrorism is a fact of life. I grew up in Israel, where every unattended bag was a suspected bomb; when my family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/like-crime-terrorism-is-a-fact-of-life-i-grew-up-in-israel-where/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) > [As long as government is allowed to collect all Internet data, the perceived exigency will drive honest civil servants to reach more broadly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/as-long-as-government-is-allowed-to-collect-all-internet-data-the/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) > [Seeing Anonymous primarily as a cybersecurity threat is like analyzing the breadth of the antiwar movement and 1960s counterculture by focusing only on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/seeing-anonymous-primarily-as-a-cybersecurity-threat-is-like/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) > [Judges wear legal professionalism and precedent as a mantel that secures legitimacy for their decisions. It's how they distinguish themselves from politicians or administrative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/judges-wear-legal-professionalism-and-precedent-as-a-mantel-that/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) > [On 11 September, I was living in Greenwich Village, New York; my children learned to tell south from north by looking at the World…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/on-11-september-i-was-living-in-greenwich-village-new-york-my/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) > [I know terrorism is real. And I know fear of it distorts public judgment. Terrorism is like a chronic illness. We have to learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/i-know-terrorism-is-real-and-i-know-fear-of-it-distorts-public/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) > [Money isn't always the best motivator. If you leave a $50 check after dinner with friends, you don't increase the probability of being invited back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/money-isn-t-always-the-best-motivator-if-you-leave-a-50-check-after/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) > [We suffered a terrible blow on 11 September 2001. We responded with fear and anger. A fight-or-flight response is adaptive in any species. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/we-suffered-a-terrible-blow-on-11-september-2001-we-responded-with/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) > [Bringing an end to mass government surveillance needs to be a central pillar of returning to the principles we have put in jeopardy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/bringing-an-end-to-mass-government-surveillance-needs-to-be-a-central/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) > [Next time you open the paper, and you see an intellectual property decision, a telecoms decision, it's not about something small and technical. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/next-time-you-open-the-paper-and-you-see-an-intellectual-property/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) > [Computation, storage, and communications capacity are in the hands of practically every connected person - and these are the basic physical capital means necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/computation-storage-and-communications-capacity-are-in-the-hands-of/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) > [One of the problems of writing and working and looking at the Internet is that it's very hard to separate fashion from deep change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/one-of-the-problems-of-writing-and-working-and-looking-at-the/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) [Explore all 15 Yochai Benkler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) ## More Awareness quotes > [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/) [Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-intoxication-of-the-ego-of-i-am/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/) [Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/) > [I know the importance of highly trained awareness of the “moment” and the immediate and intuitive response of the photographer. It should be obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-know-the-importance-of-highly-trained-awareness-of-the-moment-and/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [The thing about living alone is that it gives you a lot of time to think. You don't necessarily reach any conclusions, because wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/the-thing-about-living-alone-is-that-it-gives-you-a-lot-of-time-to/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [“It is not so much about fighting against the ego; it is more about harmonizing with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-sara/it-is-not-so-much-about-fighting-against-the-ego-it-is-more-about/) [Grace Sara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-sara/) > [I'm part of a team that raises millions of dollars and raises awareness of HIV and AIDS all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-evangelista/i-m-part-of-a-team-that-raises-millions-of-dollars-and-raises/) [Linda Evangelista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-evangelista/) > [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/) [Vashti Quiroz-Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vashti-quiroz-vega/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal. You, O worthy one, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeking-means-to-have-a-goal-but-finding-means-to-be-free-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) [Browse all 4,768 Awareness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Technology has enabled government to have investigative and situational awareness on a scale and scope that were science fiction when the Stasi shut its doors.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yochai Benkler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/technology-has-enabled-government-to-have-investigative-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Awareness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/technology-has-enabled-government-to-have-investigative-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/yochai-benkler-33032_awareness_technology-has-enabled-government-to-hav_2836760.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/yochai-benkler-33032_awareness_technology-has-enabled-government-to-hav_2836760.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c0d/yochai-benkler-33032_awareness_technology-has-enabled-government-to-hav_2836760.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Technology has enabled government to have investigative and situational awareness on a scale and scope that…” — Yochai Benkler", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Yochai Benkler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Technology has enabled government to have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/technology-has-enabled-government-to-have-investigative-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/technology-has-enabled-government-to-have-investigative-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```