With the revelations of the American PRISM surveillance programme, many people are starting to question the trustworthiness of the National Security Agency and the American state apparatus. Is the social contract between the people and government at risk of breaking when private digital communications can be easily accessed at the highest levels of power? Joining Jonathan Steele to discuss this are Michael Harris, head of advocacy at the Index on Censorship; Jamie Bartlett, head of violence and extremism programme at Demos; and Robert McCaw, Department manager of government affairs at the Council on American-Islamic Relations.