> That the Powers That Be are even capable of reliable remote surveillance... is very much a recent occurrence.
Yep. Many of our laws and regulations sorely need updating to match the world in which nearly anyone can set up 24/7 surveillance very, very, very cheaply and cops can go to a handful of businesses to find out who we talk to, what we're saying, and what we're reading about. Things that made sense when you had to put a guy in a place to keep watch, to follow a guy to see who he talks to, or go door to door to ask folks in a neighborhood what happened on a particular date are much less likely to make sense in the world we live today.
Yep. Many of our laws and regulations sorely need updating to match the world in which nearly anyone can set up 24/7 surveillance very, very, very cheaply and cops can go to a handful of businesses to find out who we talk to, what we're saying, and what we're reading about. Things that made sense when you had to put a guy in a place to keep watch, to follow a guy to see who he talks to, or go door to door to ask folks in a neighborhood what happened on a particular date are much less likely to make sense in the world we live today.