User blog comment:Brandon Rhea/The Day We Fight Back: A Digital Protest/@comment-91.20.95.152-20140211210527/@comment-20644-20140211212957

Thanks for the comment. I just want to clarify, though. No one is arguing that there can't be any surveillance or intelligence agencies. The questions are, how can we reform the programs so they have greater respect for individual rights? How can we make sure that there is more proper and transparent judicial oversight, to ensure that this information is not abused?

Intelligence agencies are important in keeping the world safe, but privacy and transparency are equally important. As I and many others would argue, a balance needs to be struck.