We've thoroughly documented that unnecessary spying by the U.S. government is costing the American tech sector many billions of dollars … and the U.S. economy as a whole hundreds of billions of dollars.

Things just got a lot worse …

ZDNet notes today:

China is no longer using high-profile US technology brands for state purchases, amid ongoing revelations about mass surveillance and hacking by the US government.

A new report confirmed key brands, including Cisco, Apple, Intel, and McAfee — among others — have been dropped from the Chinese government's list of authorized brands, a Reuters report said Wednesday.

Some reports have attempted to pin a multi-billion dollar figure on the impact of the leaks.

In reality, the figure could be incalculable.