This article never claims that anyone using "social media intelligence" is an evildoer. To be honest, I'm not sure where you've drawn this conclusion from, as even the majority of the comments here appear to be in alignment with the view that there's nothing intrinsically wrong with the scenario we've been presented. The article seems to be informative, more than anything else.
That being said, I think you're really misusing the "innocent until proven guilty" idea. If a complete stranger appeared on your doorstep wielding a steak knife and offered to help you prepare dinner in exchange for him staying the night on your couch, would you assume he was innocent, let him in, and then not keep a watchful eye on him? Most people would not, and this suggests that, all else being equal, most people would prefer to act in ways that don't put them at risk.
So I disagree that we should automatically assume that the intelligence community are all innocent. Nor do I think we should assume any of them are guilty with evidence. But I absolutely believe it's ok to watch them with scrutiny until we understand the implications of this data being used in investigations. Keeping a watchful eye on governments and companies encourages accountability. That's a good thing.
That being said, I think you're really misusing the "innocent until proven guilty" idea. If a complete stranger appeared on your doorstep wielding a steak knife and offered to help you prepare dinner in exchange for him staying the night on your couch, would you assume he was innocent, let him in, and then not keep a watchful eye on him? Most people would not, and this suggests that, all else being equal, most people would prefer to act in ways that don't put them at risk.
So I disagree that we should automatically assume that the intelligence community are all innocent. Nor do I think we should assume any of them are guilty with evidence. But I absolutely believe it's ok to watch them with scrutiny until we understand the implications of this data being used in investigations. Keeping a watchful eye on governments and companies encourages accountability. That's a good thing.