> This means that, "In many cases it is simply easier for law enforcement to purchase data from private firms than to rely on in-house data because there are fewer constitutional protections, reporting requirements and appellate checks on private sector surveillance and data collection, which enables police to circumvent privacy laws"

Another way to phrase this is:

  Why transform government into Big Brother[0], with
  all the hassle of oversight and accountability
  this would entail, when outsourcing to Big Friends
  via handsome contracts will achieve the same result
  while enabling "plausible deniability" under oath?