Lots of personal attacks there NuclearShadow but I’ll address your main points nonetheless.
[citation][nom]NuclearShadow[/nom] Now please explain to us what they would do with this data. [/citation]
I can only present possibilities as I do not work for Cisco or Linksy, although I might ask you to explain why you would freely sacrifice liberty and privacy to Cisco? Some possibilities however:
*Data Mining for Profit & other potential market insights
*collaborating with the NSA
https/www.eff.org/press/releases/three-nsa-whistleblowers-back-effs-lawsuit-over-governments-massive-spying-program
http
/www.democracynow.org/2012/4/20/exclusive_national_security_agency_whistleblower_william
http/www.democracynow.org/2012/4/20/we_do_not_live_in_a
http
/www.democracynow.org/2012/4/20/whistleblower_the_nsa_is_lying_us
[citation][nom]NuclearShadow[/nom] They are not a government or law enforcement of any kind. [/citation]
Was AT&T a government or Law Enforcement agency of any kind when the NSA installed a listening room to all bay-area traffic? (Check out the EFF link above and the democracynow links above)
[citation][nom]NuclearShadow[/nom] They cannot give any information to the law without the law coming for a warrant first. [/citation]
That is the assumption that most Americans make regarding their civil liberties but it is frankly not true. FISA Amendments & CISPA
http/www.democracynow.org/2012/5/24/senate_advances_expanded_orwellian_govt_surveillance
[citation][nom]NuclearShadow[/nom] So, you really think you and every other common user is so interesting that you just have to be spied on without logical reason? [/citation]
http
/www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/ff_nsadatacenter/
http/www.democracynow.org/2012/4/23/more_secrets_on_growing_state_surveillance
[citation][nom]NuclearShadow[/nom]
Do you realize how many users and data would be going through even if they wanted spy on everyone it wouldn't be possible and would take years to monitor a full days worth of every action people on those routers take. [/citation]
This comment is amusing because this is old news and the US Govt has built a facility to do just that. Same 2 links as directly above as well as Google for reference.
You may be sick of paranoid fools on the internet, who isn’t. But you don’t just get to throw that label around willy-nilly and declare victory.
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” - Benjamin Franklin