Over 20% of writers surveyed by PEN reported that they avoided writing about certain topics because they knew about surveillance.

That survey was in Scotland. Here are some reports:

One participant who had covered the conflict in Northern Ireland in 70s and 80s stated that they would not cover the conflict in the same manner if it took place now; another stopped writing about child abuse when they thought about what their search history may look to someone else; when they heard of a conviction based on the ownership of the Anarchist Cookbook, a participant who bought a copy for research shredded it. Further to this a participant stated: "I think I would avoid direct research on issues to do with Islamic fundamentalism. I might work on aspects of the theory, but not on interviewing people…in the past, I have interviewed people who would be called…'subversives'."

An earlier survey of US writers found that 1/6 reported self-censoring because of surveillance.

US citizens: call on the FCC to investigate phone network companies for selling location data.

The US government has imposed something almost equivalent to a national ID card. Without it, people cannot use airplanes or enter a federal office building.

I suspect that exclusion from federal office buildings denies people a number of rights.

Everyone: call for closing the Guantanamo prison and releasing the prisoners, in particular Toffiq al-Bihani. Here is what I said.

I urge you to immediately transfer Toffiq al-Bihani, who has been imprisoned without charges by the US since 2003, and apologize to him for our country's shameful act of imprisoning him without trial. He also deserves compensation in the form of providing his needs for life as a free man for the rest of his life.

I urge you also to close the Guantanamo prison and put an end to the various unjust Guantanamo-linked practices including imprisonment without trial, unfair kangaroo courts, and torture. And anything else that is unworthy of our country and has to pain the heart of Americans that love their country.

Some of the prisoners in Guantanamo may have committed great crimes. They have also suffered great crimes, including 17 years in prison without a fair trial, and torture. That is surely punishment enough; we have to right to commit crimes against them in the name of punishing them even more. They can't inspire terrorism more outside than they do now in Guantanamo. Most of them won't even try. If any of them gets involved in future terrorism, he will be one more among thousands — making little difference — and we could catch him and prosecute him honestly next time.

Those responsible for torture and enforced disappearance must be brought to justice in fair trial without recourse to the death penalty.

A clown asks that we not use the word "clown" to refer to the incompetent.