Anon you're right, it was and IS wrong.
It's also extremely inefficient for the alphabets' purposes.
Watch "Good American" re: Bill Binney & his friends; I felt better about future of data management after.
Basically the USG created a ridiculously giant setup to hang onto their likewise ridiculous budget $$$$$$$$$$$$.
They end up gathering a literal mountain of shit that isn't even useful. WTH do they need a ton of grocery lists, boring work emails, and texts from kids?
Binney's program seems rational and sensible, at least the way he describes it in the film. Efficiently sifted through a billion trainloads of flour, eggs, butter and milk so that the NSA could have actually baked a decent cake.
His bosses decided to keep the billion trainloads, and the status quo budget, instead.
The optimum end result would be a streamlined, efficient organization. Bring back Binney and his colleagues to put new structure in place, compensate them for improper termination & restore their pension and benefits. Reallocate the money into something actually useful for the country. Drop-kick the "bad guys" out, being sure to get them to sign ironclad, terrifying NDA's on their way out the door. You know, the shit that Trump has already shown us he's a genius at doing.