As the dispute over the legalities and technicalities of RIP rages, we can just imagine the tittering in the smoke-filled rooms of the secret services. After all, they've been systematically monitoring every electronic communication under the sun for years. Enemies and allies alike are spied upon. Secrets are traded across battlelines. Word recognition software filters emails to identify conspirators.
Industrial espionage enables companies in the spy ring loop to secure orders.
It's a global conspiracy, it's called Echelon, and there's nothing you can do about it. Here's a fun game you can play at home. Then get under your bed and stay there. On second thoughts, perhaps it's safer to follow the Echelon saga from a distance.