I think you have a good point when it comes to metadata. But I'm not at all convinced that's all they're monitoring.
Snowden is quoted as saying:
>> “I, sitting at my desk, had the authority to wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant to a federal judge to even the president if I had a personal e-mail,” he added.
Snowden is quoted as saying:
>> “I, sitting at my desk, had the authority to wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant to a federal judge to even the president if I had a personal e-mail,” he added.
http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2013/06/10/on-first-glance-...
The IRS reportedly thinks it has the authority to read the contents of emails, not just metadata:
http://www.aclu.org/blog/technology-and-liberty-national-sec...
The NSA reportedly has fiber cable taps at AT&T:
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/04/70619