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Actually if you follow Dutch politics you'd know this IS the will of the people. The common man is not a libertarian hacker.

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This is not the will of the people in the Netherlands. We had a referendum a few years ago about the laws for spying (sleepwet). Their was a clear vote for not allowing bulk spying. The rules that currently are broken down where made in reaction to that referendum.

I've looked up the figures again: 51.5% turnout, of which 49.4% was against, 46.5% in favor. That's not a clear vote, and the political climate hasn't really become more favorable since.

That's a pretty clear "hey government, how about you stop trying to push things through and do some more asking around whether people actually want this" if you'd ask me.

Of course, it's easier to just keep trying and altering your methods until people give in from exhaustion / negligence, rather than actually figuring out whether the people want it.

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