But then the process of something becoming automated can be a pretty deciding factor. Say a policeman overheard you talking about something that is illegal in public, and decides to investigate. Fine and dandy. Say the government mounts microphones in all public places, and does sophisticated speech recognition on it to find people talking about illegal things. In principle, that is very similar to a policeman overhearing a conversation, in scope, it isn't. That capability opens up terrifying possibilities.