The fact that governments don't want people or companies talking about what it does at all shows that governments are overreaching.
These aren't nuclear schematics we're talking about. These aren't plans for a doomsday device. We're talking about the government silencing people/companies when it gathers (or forces those people/companies to gather) information about (largely random) people in order to use that information against them if they become "subversive". Government intelligence agencies seem to be modeling themselves more and more after the Stasi's.
Though I will say, people often forget that the primary directive for any government is to stay in power. No matter what.
There's a substantial difference between 'keep quiet for the duration of these investigative legal proceedings' and 'you are never allowed to ever tell anyone about this no matter how much time passes'.
That also keeps the "good guys" thinking they're safe, when in fact there could be a backdoor for the Chinese government that sends over all messages that say "falun gong." As demonstrated by the recent leak at the NSA perhaps we should be investing in as much cyber defense as offense before a cyber terrorist attack occurs.
From everything I've learned about security, offense is much, much more effective dollar for dollar and that any concerted effort of creating an impenetrable shield would result in a cyber Maginot Line.
An all out cyber war would be scary as there isn't any procedure or policy for descalation once started, no white flag.
What's especially scary is that the government wastes all this time and money surveillaning people's online habits when the electric grid, probably the number one target in the event of a cyber war, is so defenseless that a squirrel can effectively take out electricity for the Eastern seaboard.
The Gag orders that the US government is forcing these people/companies to sign have no end date. And I highly doubt they're actively voiding them after investigations are completed...
Hell, I highly doubt investigations are ever "completed".
I don't want to live in a society that organizes around the notion that catching bad actors is the most important thing. There are too many perverse incentives.
These aren't nuclear schematics we're talking about. These aren't plans for a doomsday device. We're talking about the government silencing people/companies when it gathers (or forces those people/companies to gather) information about (largely random) people in order to use that information against them if they become "subversive". Government intelligence agencies seem to be modeling themselves more and more after the Stasi's.
Though I will say, people often forget that the primary directive for any government is to stay in power. No matter what.
Keep them silent and keep the power.