I was joking about the assertion that millennials refuse to do paperwork, but you are absolutely correct. I currently work at a place that required a government background check due to exposure to confidential information, and even though I have done nothing to warrant anxiety surrounding this, I genuinely was a bit afraid. I have heard many of my peers (college aged students) agree that they would never apply to a three-letter agency because of the same fear.

Having recruiters that further disparage the newer generations and grow increasingly out of touch is doing nothing to boost their numbers, at least in my field. Everyone I know who would be a best fit for their agency is a privacy geek who wants nothing to do with them. Outreach would be an incredibly lucrative opportunity for them to gain talent.

> They believe that the NSA/CIA has their entire browsing history on file, that the interview process may see them confronted by some awful website they visited late one night in their teens.

Even if they had this information, the most likely strike would be if you lied about it rather than if you actually did it.

They are fully aware of the range of behavior that humans are capable of, perhaps in a way that many 25 yos are not.

> some awful website they visited late one night in their teens

Are you thinking about websites like 8chan?

Isn't metadata stored in bulk for domestic traffic, and then queried retroactively? Usually queries require a real warrant, but doesn't filling out an SF-86 constitute consent to query? If not, why?

I am genuinely baffled why they wouldn't fire up XKeyscore to double-check the accuracy of the SSBIs.

It's a known fact in the military if it ever comes out that you've smoked weed at any time in your life you will hit a firm ceiling on your career and never rank up, unless you run for POTUS it seems :). Can't imagine how much talent any federal employer passed up on just for their myopic stance on pot of all things.