Well sparcguy, TOR will be usable depending on your connection and the quality of the connection in your country as well... but it is, even so, slower than the usual connection, that's true.

And probably all (if not all some of) the major agencies not only from US have some relays themselves just to try to get information through it. I've read some stuff that says how they try to trace the information exchanged... and read it of course...

But yeah, it is safe tough. If you know at least a bit of technology and what to do and what not to do over it. But the real thing is, there is a lot of crimes that are possible to be tracked by technology, that's normal for government agecies to want to have the possibility to access all information possible. But on the other hand there's a limit to how much information is accessed and even more WHY. It must have a reason, a real good reason. And not just do it for the sake of it.

As we recently learned, (even though many have guessed probably), there are a lot of information, really personal information that can end somewhere where it shouldn't be, and instead of stopping crime there are some people just looking at it, the private information of someone. That shouldn't be done at all. Why do that? Just because they "can"?

But in general there are not really much to concern about, for example, if you use some adblock software you can stop unwanted ads, once you already pay for your bandwidth you have the right to decide or not to see ads when surfing; but of course, if someone provides you with good information, fun and et cetera and you want to help then you can let the ads on on their blogs, websites... and if you use the ads it'll be even more revenue to them.

The main thing is that you should be free to do whatever you want online. Without being spied on. But then again, some people would commit crimes (even more crimes would happen I mean) if there weren't punishment for what is done online. So that's necessary to have some control of course. Otherwise it would be a really dark place internet. We need laws everywhere. Because there are people that just don't know how to live a life that is good. They have this need to do something bad, that's what it seems to happen, like that Dexter's Dark Passenger (for analogy haha) (and should be tackled of course). But the control should only reside on log based systems for the general public (unless under rightful investigation), because IF necessary, then the data would be accessed.

That's a really huge conversation, that take a lot of time and would probably go on. We have ethics to deal with. We have a lot to deal with. We need law enforcement. But we also need respect. So that is some times a thin line that is crossed. And it seems in a lot of situations that the line is purposefully crossed... even if not necessary...