“First developed as a weapon by the U.S. Army, VX is an oily, odorless and tasteless liquid that kills on contact with the skin or when inhaled in aerosol form. Like other nerve agents, it is treatable in the first minutes after exposure but otherwise leads swiftly to fatal convulsions and respiratory failure.”

“The NSA has different reporting requirements for each branch of government and each of its legal authorities.”

“The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents.”

“At Cheney's initiative, the United States stripped terror suspects of long-established rights under domestic and international law, building a new legal edifice under exclusive White House ownership.”

“Experts said public companies worry about the loss of customer confidence and the legal liability to shareholders or security vendors when they report flaws.”

“I have no evidence of any relationship between IRS and NSA.”

“Privacy is relational. It depends on the audience. You don't want your employer to know you're job hunting. You don't spill all about your love life to your mom or your kids. You don't tell trade secrets to your rivals.”

“'Social engineering,' the fancy term for tricking you into giving away your digital secrets, is at least as great a threat as spooky technology.”

“The Patriot Act unleashed the FBI to search your email, travel and credit records without even a suspicion of wrongdoing.”

“You don't need to be a spook to care about encryption. If you travel with your computer or keep it in a place where other people can put their hands on it, you're vulnerable.”

“Early in 1986, the World Health Organization in Geneva still regarded AIDS as an ailment of the promiscuous few.”