Is the FBI dumb, evil, or just incompetent?

> Maybe I'm being naive, but what's preventing Google or Facebook from using their resources to launch a PR campaign against these requests from the FBI

The fact that they do not give a shit about you and your data (and why should they?).

If you want your data to be encrypted, you have to do it at your end. PGP has shown exactly how much people really care about keeping their communication private if it requires even a minuscule amount of effort.

Google and Facebook are now basically corporate interests/extended arms of the USG.

Until recently the US Government was issuing tech companies National Security Letters (different from subpoenas, they do not require judicial approval) and the letters had built in gag orders. In other words if the recipient could not discuss what was being requested by the government, or even challenge the request in court without criminal penalties. Recently courts have reviewed this and given a partial lift on the built in gag orders. (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_security_letter)

I think people have the FBIs motivations misunderstood. And I don't mean in some evil conspiracy theory sort of way, but in one that is pretty consistent with their mission.

Their main mission nowadays is to stop terrorism, etc... I I think that when they look at this rationally they believe are better served by being able to access these conversations.

The article theorizes that people with data to hide will use encryption, or otherwise would be so stupid, that one can find them easily in any case. In the real world a lot of these cases are broken on a "lucky" break or two. Someone improperly or not using their encryption software once, for example.

I think it seems foolish to accuse them of being dumb, evil, or incompetent. Given the stakes they deal with, and the amount of data they have to sift through, I think its very reasonable that they try to reduce the amount of work they need to do to find credible leads. And I'm sure they try to institute methods to minimize abuse, but I'm sure they are also aware that some abuse will happen.

While some of this feels like it may cross the line, I think it's a line that a rationale organization, with their mission, should push against.

What happens when the FBI becomes infected with people like Lerner who use their power to persecute political dissidents?