AnonTechie [soylentnews.org] writes:
When Edward Snowden in 2013 leaked thousands of classified documents about the reach of the National Security Agency's surveillance efforts, it touched off a major political debate about privacy and how much access government should have to civilian communication records, such as email and cellphone data. A University of Kansas researcher says questions over how far government should be allowed to go regarding surveillance is not new. In fact, Lon Strauss, a KU lecturer in the Department of History, says it can be traced back to an important anniversary that is nearing. August 2014 will mark 100 years since the outbreak of World War I in Europe, and Strauss says the United States' involvement in the war in 1917 started the growth of America surveillance methods that have continued ever since.
http://news.ku.edu/2014/03/06/researcher-traces-surveillance-state-beginnings-world-war-i [ku.edu]
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/06/13/surveillance_state_ww1_roots/?page=1 [theregister.co.uk]
Original Submission
