Given the info released by Snowden (the number and placement of backbone network taps and relationships between corporate and various governments players) I believe it is fair to say that Bitcoin is effectively part of the surveillance system. Just like any other real-time network construct (including possibly TOR.)
I (seemingly alone) feel that there is either more to the Utah datacenter than simply a storage repository, or that there are others which have been kept more private. I expect that the next shoe to drop will be a centralized location where actual packet filtering based on near real-time analysis will be taking place. Kind of a 'mothership' where tough decisions about filtering are made when the edge filters lack information. Sounds crazy, yes, but my (and others) warnings about widespread collection and relationship link analysis was whacked tinfoil-hat material not long ago as well. Now not so much.
What of the situation of these three Bitcoin related entities being so close to the Utah datacenter? My initial gut feeling is that it is probably coincidence. But interesting enough to log for further analysis.
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One last thought. The idea that this data collected by the NSA is necessary to 'fight terrorism' is absurd. Like many other similar systems throughout history, a large part of it's usefulness is in intimidating people. But how effective is that going to be if it is kept secret? (Much the same question Dr. Strangelove raised about the doomsday device...) The system needed to be uncovered at some point...and it is now pretty clear that it has been running for long enough to have collected a bunch of goodies on just about anyone who had anything worth collecting.
Some have suggested that there is more to Snowden than meets the eye, and I've read some interesting analysis of the documents he's leaked. At this point I consider these hypothesis that the Snowden operation was staged to be weaker than the hypothesis that he is the real McCoy, but they remains alive and worthy of continued exploration. It is likely that a fair amount of subterfuge was going to surround this spy network throughout it's life-cycle.
Snowden described the surveillance network best: A turn-key system for tyranny. How the likes of Gavin can retain confidence that Bitcoin will receive a fair shake from the corp/gov state on the basis that Bitcoin is a constitutional and legal system boggles my mind...although I am not him and cannot say positively that that is the basis for his confidence.
