This is a hell of a thread. All tech like this start with idea that it will ONLY be used for good things. Blatant abuse of lawful interception is a good example of this in India, FISA authorisations in the US. These are *with* legal guardrails & supposed oversight. https://twitter.com/imsoumyarendra/status/1331471210618621952

Now, you ask me, what's there to fear about it if you are not doing anything criminal. There are two issues:
1. These applications are often built by the lowest bidder, not maintained well & is a prime target for unauthorised access by unfriendly actors, or even friendly ones.

2. Non-criminal activities are still prime targets for blackmail. Let's say a respectable personal secretary of a cabinet minister is picked up by the system having an illicit affair, that person becomes susceptible to blackmail. The information can't get them in jail.

But they can be threatened with public discourse and shame and you have suddenly developed an asset to pilfer information out of ministry. There is no crime, the system is successfully catching pretty theives, but it's also helped compromise someone in a position of power.

All these systems are vulnerable to such use, even without taking into account the harm to regular people when the watchers have too much power on their hands that is inevitably abused. Once they run for a few years, all these systems will prove to create more issues than fixes

Responsible governments address these issues eventually. India, unfortunately, has perpetuated a culture of doubling down on these things. And that's where this will be headed too.

Typos, mistakes galore. I gave up that fight long ago. Apologies.