The mechanical beast has been set free! An unstoppable nuclear powered thinking mind, with a lust for martian blood!

The US will just contract out the spying to a third party (or country, ally). No harm no foul. Money talks.

In Russia you'd have to pay off (or get cozy) with Mafia oligarchs or Putin & the gang, paying protection money and not crossing any red lines. Make a mistake and you find yourself thrown in a hell hole in Siberia, or drinking radioactive tea. At least in the US you can hire a lawyer and get a fair shot, in Russia, the lawyer works against you.

It's for duck hunting.

The Government watches the people, the people watch the government. Everyone's happy. A world with fewer secrets is a safer world.

The MAN has won, but its not so bad. The MAN pays well, has full health coverage, and a solid pension plan. Three cheers for the MAN!

I speak only for myself, but I only buy around half a dozen issues of any newspaper/magazine in a given year. There is simply too much quality content out there on the 'net for FREE, produced by predominantly independent sources, and untainted by corporate tentacles. I'm sure owning one's own newspaper adds a few points to one's ego, in which case the price of $250 million may seem like a bargain indeed.

The top .00001% of the world have only grown richer during this past decade of global economic crisis. They have enriched themselves to a greater extent than in all human history combined. The new oligharchs on the planet have the power to buy governments wholesale, just look at the machinations of recent elections in any democracy on the planet....and you think this is all for your benefit? The joke is on you.

If you want instant, as it happens, look to twitter, the elite blogs of independent journalists on the ground, in the trenches, as they tweet, youtube, and post instant commentary and analysis. The revolution will be recorded in a newspaper somewhere, but it will be a day late, and a dollar more.

We're half way there.

You think the Russians and the Chinese, or Pakistanis or Nigerians will play with kid gloves? We are establishing the boundaries for the coming century of conflicts, most of which will take place in the digital realm, paying little heed to national borders or treaties. A dirty war fought with dirty weapons. A game of cat and mouse, where winner takes all, and the loser forfeits their digital secrets wholesale. He who controls the information, controls the world. The US is best placed to take the lead, they cannot give up their technological and logistical edge. It's a battle to ensure the world is safe for democracy and capitalism - in other words, to make the world safe for America. It's a golden time to be a contractor.

The funny thing is, the Taxi companies could easily implement their own Apps to automate the cab hiring process, perhaps some are doing this already.

The 4th Amendment was written eons ago. The government will simply redefine the term. The surveillance society is not just a reality, but an inevitability given the direction and capabilities of the technology. This is just the beginning. Individuals need to account for their digital activities, and protect their identities, if that is important to them.

Uber is rather pointless. Why would someone go through a 'middle-man' app, thus incurring a surcharge, when they can just reserve with the taxi company direct?

This is just the beginning. Tracking technology is revolutionizing civilization. Automated cars will be a big one, they'll require constant tracking and monitoring by sophisticated AI networks. Healthcare is another one; with an aging society, people will voluntarily hook their bodies up to persistent remote monitoring by automated healthcare systems, essential in an age of ever increasing healthcare costs. Every aspect of our individual movements and activity will require monitoring if our connected, wired society is to function. With persistent monitoring of all public (and many private) spaces, crimes will plummet. Smart homes will provide essential consumer services, monitor energy usage, and ensure government mandated standards are followed. The key here is automation. Human eyes will not be peering into our private lives, it will be sophisticated AI. In an increasingly crowded planet pushing nine billion humans in thirty years, adopting these systems is not just essential, but the only viable solution to tackle many of our current problems. With the pace of cost reduction, advancements in the technology, accelerated adoption is assured. The information wants to be free. Privacy may be dead, but we need only redefine the nature of privacy.