The security services (NSA, FBI, GHQ, MI6, Mossad, etc.) collect and share massive amounts of information. They process and sort the information with private-sector contractors. Ed Snowden officially was employed by Dell during part of his intelligence career; he later
followed NSA Director Mike McConnell to Booz Allen Hamilton (McConnell admits some incompetence, but maintains dogged disinformation - link).
Anyhow, the spooks continue collecting a treasure trove of global information about people, love affairs, finances, national security information of governments around the world, business secrets, competitive intelligence, and enemy schedules.
Intel is valuable. Where will the new train line stations be located? Land prices around each site will skyrocket in value. Early knowledge allows purchase option bargaining.
Mid-sized governments spend tens of billions on defense procurement. Or they could spend far-less to discover fundamental rival vulnerabilities.
Key knowledge can be quickly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The bad guys know this. Ruthless little fuckers like Whitey Bulger have money and contacts. Yakuza or less-connected governments or ambitious corporations are each eager to invest. Weak links are targeted -- that will collapse to blackmail or bribery. Our own arrogant leadership infects us with pathogens created for our protection.
NSA's Treasure Trove is surely already infiltrated, and the corruption is global.
Our spying is dangerous to all.
