This is exactly the system all govs want.
And in most cases, for the most noble of reasons.*
I might have said in the other thread, but at least thought, that traditionally a large portion of our freedoms in the world (some places more than others) were the result not of laws and good people in government, but the inability to do otherwise due to lack of means. As we acquire the means, having good laws and good people becomes more important and our freedoms become harder to sustain.
Think about the world if the Stasi or the Inquisition or the House Un-American Activities Committee had had the means that China is making available today. Very scary.
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*added - I mean that with NO irony. They literally want it in order to promote safety, stability, improve defense and so forth in most cases. It just won't play out that way. Emile Cioran said he prefers criminals to saints, because criminals only kill people one at a time, but saints kill them by the millions (by "saints" he means people with causes, the Maos, Stalins, Hitlers of the world).