Surveillance threatens U.S. business climate, democracy, say Stanford researchers

""We are no longer seen as a safe business climate," said Aleecia M. McDonald, director of privacy at Stanford's Center for Internet and Society."

"Jonathan Mayer, a doctoral student in computer science and Cybersecurity Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation, said that the law is still evolving in our highly digital world – and right now, it does not go far enough in safeguarding privacy."

"Richard Forno, a junior affiliate scholar with the Center for Internet and Society, warns that mass surveillance can create conformity in social thought and interactions. "If a person believes they are constantly being watched, they will, over time, conform to what they think those watching them will deem as 'expected' norms of conduct and communication," he said."