US spies on 'the entire globe', experts say

[jakeXT]

....

Even given that tacit understanding, the US stands apart in the scope of its espionage capabilities.

"Every country has weapons for spying, but most have the equivalent of a howitzer," says James Bamford, who has written extensively on the National Security Agency. "In terms of eavesdropping, the US has a nuclear weapon."

Aftergood says, "We are photographing and listening to the entire globe."

...

"The politics of the debate have changed," says Suzanne Nossel, a former deputy assistant secretary of state in the Obama administration.

"Things that we once suspected that were going on are going on. And things we never dreamed of are going on. There's no way that Europeans can lie back and accept that."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24627187

[spin]

1. I wonder how much all this spying costs. We will probably have to cut Social Security and ...

Medicare in order to afford it in the future.