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The test of a first-rate intelligence, according to one great American writer, “is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” Americans are passing that test when it comes to their opinions on Internet surveillance. In a survey published by the Pew Research Center on Monday, Americans expressed concern with Internet surveillance but supported it when presented with scenarios related to potential crime or terrorism. Pew interviewed 475 adults in late 2014 and early 2015, 87 percent of whom had heard at least something about the electronic surveillance revealed by Edward Snowden. Of those who had heard of the surveillance programs, only 40 percent thought it was acceptable for the government to monitor ordinary American citizens. People who had heard more about the programs were less likely to approve of electronic monitoring. But over 65 percent were comfortable with the government monitoring people who had visited child pornography websites, e-mailed with an imam who had preached against infidels, or made search engine queries related to explosives. Forty-nine percent believed that government surveillance was warranted for people who used encryption to hide files or who had friends on social media who “used hateful language about American leaders.” News of government surveillance also caused people to change their online habits. Twenty-two percent of people who had heard of the Snowden reports had changed their behavior in some way. One respondent who was interviewed by Pew voiced hesitation “to look up certain information on search engines, since it may appear suspicious, even if my reason is pure curiosity.” Mostly the precautions taken amounted to changing passwords or altering privacy settings on social media accounts. A tiny fraction took technical actions of any sophistication to thwart potential surveillance:  Only one in 10 had used a search engine that didn’t store search history; 4 percent had used mobile encryption for calls or text messages; and just 2 percent had used anonymity software such as Tor.
Pew found that people under 50 were more likely to have made changes to their electronic behavior in the post-Snowden world, while people over 50 were more inclined to support wide- ranging surveillance. The survey didn’t find any partisan divide on the issues.