--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think this mass surveillance by the NSA…" description: "\"“I think this mass surveillance by the NSA was never about terrorism: It's all about economic spying & social control. It's all about POWER.”\" — Ziad K..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/ziad-k-abdelnour-637_nsa_i-think-this-mass-surveillance-by-the-ns_2446856.jpg" --- # I think this mass surveillance by the NSA was never about… ![“I think this mass surveillance by the NSA was never about terrorism: It's all about economic spying & social control. It's all about POWER.” quote by Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/ziad-k-abdelnour-637_nsa_i-think-this-mass-surveillance-by-the-ns_2446856.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/ziad-k-abdelnour-637_nsa_i-think-this-mass-surveillance-by-the-ns_2446856.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/ziad-k-abdelnour-637_nsa_i-think-this-mass-surveillance-by-the-ns_2446856.jpg) > ““I think this mass surveillance by the NSA was never about terrorism: It's all about economic spying & social control. It's all about POWER.”” [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Surveillance is used to gather economic data and enforce social control, not solely to combat terrorism. **In simple terms:** Power drives surveillance beyond security. Key Takeaway Question motives behind surveillance. Themes surveillance power privacy Mood cautious critical Type political analytical When to use this quote - corporate data collection - government monitoring - public policy debates - digital rights activism Key Concepts economic espionage social control state authority Questions to Reflect On - How does economic spying affect individual freedoms? - What safeguards could limit power abuse? A Different Perspective Surveillance can also protect public safety; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Social control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-control/) [Surveillance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveillance/) ## Related quotes > [ These \[NSA\] programs were never about terrorism: they're about economic spying, social control, and diplomatic manipulation. They're about power. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/these-nsa-programs-were-never-about-terrorism-they-re-about-economic/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Ending mass surveillance of private phone calls under the Patriot Act is a historic victory for the rights of every citizen. Yet while we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/ending-mass-surveillance-of-private-phone-calls-under-the-patriot-act/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [ \[Bill\] Binney designed ThinThread, an NSA program that used encryption to try to make mass surveillance less objectionable. It would still have been unlawful… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/bill-binney-designed-thinthread-an-nsa-program-that-used-encryption/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [I acted on my belief that the NSA's mass surveillance programs would not withstand a constitutional challenge, and that the American public deserved a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-acted-on-my-belief-that-the-nsa-s-mass-surveillance-programs-would/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [One of the foremost activities of the NSA's FAD, or Foreign Affairs Division, is to pressure or incentivize EU member states to change their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/one-of-the-foremost-activities-of-the-nsa-s-fad-or-foreign-affairs/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Someone recently talked about mass surveillance and the NSA revelations as being the atomic moment for computer scientists. The atomic bomb was the moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/someone-recently-talked-about-mass-surveillance-and-the-nsa/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [There's no question that the US is engaged in economic spying. If there's information at Siemens that they think would be beneficial to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/there-s-no-question-that-the-us-is-engaged-in-economic-spying-if/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“citizens, had been targeted as well. Still, the sheer scale of diplomatic surveillance the NSA has practiced is unusual and noteworthy. In addition to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/citizens-had-been-targeted-as-well-still-the-sheer-scale-of/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“much of the data collection conducted by the NSA has manifestly nothing to do with terrorism or national security. Intercepting the communications of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/much-of-the-data-collection-conducted-by-the-nsa-has-manifestly/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“The NSA is the only branch of the government that actually listens to people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/the-nsa-is-the-only-branch-of-the-government-that-actually-listens-to/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [If we don't do anything, if we go along with the status quo, we are going to have a mass surveillance world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-we-don-t-do-anything-if-we-go-along-with-the-status-quo-we-are/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“mass surveillance is a universal temptation for any unscrupulous power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/mass-surveillance-is-a-universal-temptation-for-any-unscrupulous-power/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Love and Freedom of Thoughts is a fast-acting antidote against the misanthropic cold sword of mass surveillance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/love-and-freedom-of-thoughts-is-a-fast-acting-antidote-against-the/) sir Kristian Goldmund Aumann > [“mass surveillance kills dissent in a deeper and more important place as well: in the mind, where the individual trains him- or herself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/mass-surveillance-kills-dissent-in-a-deeper-and-more-important-place/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [I don't think there's anything, any threat out there today that anyone can point to, that justifies placing an entire population under mass surveillance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-any-threat-out-there-today-that-anyone/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) ## More by Ziad K. Abdelnour > [“This Syrian circus/crisis we are going through is hilarious... It’s like watching some thug killing another person and asking him for his bullets but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/this-syrian-circus-crisis-we-are-going-through-is-hilarious-it-s-like/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“I do not believe in the power of brand names or in emulating any of the brand name investors out there. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/i-do-not-believe-in-the-power-of-brand-names-or-in-emulating-any-of/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“After analyzing our current crisis and studying well-established historical precedents, I must conclude that the global bankers have only three possible cards left to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/after-analyzing-our-current-crisis-and-studying-well-established/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“FINAO. My word for my companies. Failure Is Not An Option.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/finao-my-word-for-my-companies-failure-is-not-an-option/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“Remember...Whoever is trying to bring you down is already below you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/remember-whoever-is-trying-to-bring-you-down-is-already-below-you/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“Always Remember... Once You Give Up Your Rights, You Can Never Get Them Back. Once You Turn On That Police State, You Can Never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/always-remember-once-you-give-up-your-rights-you-can-never-get-them/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“The longer the explanation, the bigger the lie… Always remember that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/the-longer-the-explanation-the-bigger-the-lie-always-remember-that/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“If a problem can be solved by writing a check, it's not a problem, it's an expense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/if-a-problem-can-be-solved-by-writing-a-check-it-s-not-a-problem-it-s/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“People keep asking me ...How to instantly become a better writer? It’s simple: Use "power words" and see for yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/people-keep-asking-me-how-to-instantly-become-a-better-writer-it-s/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [Thanks to the people that walked in to my life and made it better. And thanks to the ones who walked out and made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/thanks-to-the-people-that-walked-in-to-my-life-and-made-it-better-and/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“The biggest threat to American power in the long run is the persistent decline in its middle class standard of living today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/the-biggest-threat-to-american-power-in-the-long-run-is-the/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“If you want to raise your standard of living, raise your standard of giving”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/if-you-want-to-raise-your-standard-of-living-raise-your-standard-of/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“If wealth is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/if-wealth-is-your-hope-for-independence-you-will-never-have-it-the/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“Since the dawn of the twentieth century, we have been told that the federal government has the answers to solve all of society’s problems.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/since-the-dawn-of-the-twentieth-century-we-have-been-told-that-the/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“Difference between being Rich and Being Wealthy? Time...Nothing is more important than TIME... can't buy it back ever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/difference-between-being-rich-and-being-wealthy-time-nothing-is-more/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) [Explore all 434 Ziad K. Abdelnour quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) ## More Nsa quotes > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“Marcia Wilson was a good example of Omega’s core strategy for creating a New World Order. It involved placing their people, or moles, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morcan/marcia-wilson-was-a-good-example-of-omega-s-core-strategy-for/) [James Morcan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morcan/) > [“The NSA is correct, 1984 is now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gurnow/the-nsa-is-correct-1984-is-now/) Michael Gurnow > [Congress must go further to protect the right to privacy, to end the NSA's dragnet surveillance of ordinary Americans, to make the intelligence community…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/congress-must-go-further-to-protect-the-right-to-privacy-to-end-the/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [What I said was, the NSA does not voyeuristically pore through U.S. citizens' e-mails. I stand by that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-r-clapper/what-i-said-was-the-nsa-does-not-voyeuristically-pore-through-u-s/) [James R. Clapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-r-clapper/) > [The program grew out of a desire to address a gap identified after 9/11 ... The program does not involve the NSA examining the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-program-grew-out-of-a-desire-to-address-a-gap-identified-after-9/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I don't welcome leaks. There's a reason why these programs are classified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-don-t-welcome-leaks-there-s-a-reason-why-these-programs-are/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ I believe that when \[senator Ron\] Wyden and \[senator Mark\] Udall asked about the scale of this, they \[the NSA\] said it did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-believe-that-when-senator-ron-wyden-and-senator-mark-udall-asked/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [There is an obligation both moral, but also legal, I believe, against a reporter disclosing something which would so severely compromise national security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-king/there-is-an-obligation-both-moral-but-also-legal-i-believe-against-a/) [Peter King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-king/) > [They still have negligent auditing, they still have things going for a walk, and they have no idea where they're coming from and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/they-still-have-negligent-auditing-they-still-have-things-going-for-a/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The public needs to know the kinds of things a government does in its name, or the 'consent of the governed' is meaningless... The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-public-needs-to-know-the-kinds-of-things-a-government-does-in-its/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [I took what I knew to the public, so what affects all of us can be discussed by all of us in the light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-took-what-i-knew-to-the-public-so-what-affects-all-of-us-can-be/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) Browse all 232 Nsa quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I think this mass surveillance by the NSA was never about terrorism: It's all about economic spying & social control. It's all about POWER.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ziad K. 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