This is interesting to read, but I have one very important question:
Why is a distinction made between US and non-US people? Why do some systems automatically ignore all US IP addresses?
What makes me a potential criminal, and Mr. Smith not? Why can he read my email without a court order, but not from someone from Nebraska? Why does my physical location, or proxy server for that matter, matter?
I think the only reason is because it's simply in the US law, so it doesn't really say much. It's just one of those things that are the way they are. But then...
why does he keep bringing it up as "you shouldn't be worried because we don't look at data from the US"... if I'm not from the US? Does this mean I should be worried that he is really reading my email if it has certain keywords? I could become an intelligence target because of keywords or activism in certain groups, merely because I'm not using a US-based proxy server?
This is trivial - the whole purpose of foreign intelligence is to help the interests of your country while disregarding or actively harming the interests of everyone else. They have no obligation whatsoever to protect (or even refrain from murdering) others, but they do have an obligation to protect their own citizens, so they have restrictions for that.
The only two valid reasons for NSA not to capture all the foreigners email is if (1) it's too costly (and it probably isn't); and (2) the goverment decides that the PR harm is greater than whatever they gain from having all the email (and it probably isn't either).
Why is a distinction made between US and non-US people? Why do some systems automatically ignore all US IP addresses?
What makes me a potential criminal, and Mr. Smith not? Why can he read my email without a court order, but not from someone from Nebraska? Why does my physical location, or proxy server for that matter, matter?
I think the only reason is because it's simply in the US law, so it doesn't really say much. It's just one of those things that are the way they are. But then...
why does he keep bringing it up as "you shouldn't be worried because we don't look at data from the US"... if I'm not from the US? Does this mean I should be worried that he is really reading my email if it has certain keywords? I could become an intelligence target because of keywords or activism in certain groups, merely because I'm not using a US-based proxy server?