Are you troubled by the news that the governments of the US and UK paid technology firms to design flaws into their products making surveillance easier?

Or should I have simply asked, “Are you troubled that your government is spying on you”?

The Guardian reported in this story that the program costs $250 million/year. That seems pretty cheap to me.

However, there is a basic trust between members of a society. That trust is multifaceted and complex. I believe one part is that we guard each other’s right to privacy.

Oh. Wait. That’s in the US Constitution. It’s called the Fourth Amendment, and it says, “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

My rights have been violated.