U.S. Congressman Ron Paul saw the danger. These provisions represents a major power-grab by the federal government and a major threat to liberty. As the law stands now, the federal government will have the ability to inappropriately monitor the movements and transactions of every citizen . History shows that when government gains the power to monitor the actions of the people, it eventually uses that power to impose totalitarian controls on them . However, legislative attempts to protect the privacy of information collected by, or at the command, of government officials are likely to be ineffective at protecting citizens from the prying eyes of government officials .
Surveillance is nothing new.
The twentieth century created some effective ways of identifying and monitor citizens, especially those who might resist a new ideology. Look at the first three decades of the Soviet Union. Its pioneering strategies for molding the minds of its people, monitoring compliance, and punishing non-compliance modeled government control to other totalitarian regimes around the world. Soon China, North Korea, and other Communist nations followed suit. So did Nazi Germany.