Now, the thing that prevents that from happening is money.
So much money is concentrated on so few people that it protects itself and the owner becomes invulnerable. Add to that that too much money very often corrupts its owner. The predictable result for society seems pretty obvious.
You're spot on about money. I saw Keith Alexander's talk at the recent BlackHat conference, and was miffed at people applauding the guy, but then realized that it's a Black Hat conference, the epicenter of the monetization of exploits.
The other factor is that the NSA's reputation is irreparably tarnished, and they will continue to attract the wrong kind of people. I think we need to prepare for some dark times ahead.
Now, the thing that prevents that from happening is money.
So much money is concentrated on so few people that it protects itself and the owner becomes invulnerable. Add to that that too much money very often corrupts its owner. The predictable result for society seems pretty obvious.