Because unlike our world, the Star Trek world actually respects people’s privacy. Ever noticed how people just vanish from the ship and the computer never alerts anyone until someone asks for their location? When Trek was written, the idea of constantly monitoring and reporting on individuals was abhorrent. It’s disgusting how willingly people just accept that now.

But like, they can still track you. And removing the badge that lets them track you is basically a crime. Also section 31 exists basically just to track and monitor people.

Section 31 were created as the bad guys who Sisko and crew fought against every step of the way. And I don’t use the phrase “genocidal maniacs” lightly, but they were literally xenocidal and Sloane was, as a spy, less of an Ian Fleming James Bond type and more of a John le Carré type—an actual maniac in the piece of human wreckage who’s been turned violent and crazy by the stress of war. (I really wish his end had come at Sisko’s hands, and involved contrasting Sisko’s actions in Pale Moonlight with Sloan and 31’s degeneration in to xenophobic crimes of extermination, and how both shared the same origin but ended up in very different places.

Be that as it may, he made some valid points talking to Bashir.

"The Federation needs men like you, Doctor. Men of conscience, men of principle, men who can sleep at night. You’re also the reason Section Thirty one exists. Someone has to protect men like you from a universe that doesn’t share your sense of right and wrong. "

Nah. ‘Oh you can be nice, but those people over there aren’t nice, so we need to be even less nice to protect you!’

Race to the friggin bottom

The most awesome thing about those episodes for me is that there’s no clear answer. It’s thought provoking and leaves you considering the perspectives of both men. I didn’t say he was right, I said he made some good points. Star Trek of that era was generally idealistic and DS9 was the first foray into considering the harsh realities of idealistic perspectives in a universe that will violate any ideal against you to achieve advantage. What do you do? There’s not really a clear answer IMO, it’s a philosophical quandary.

well, Sisko was pretty clear “We don’t do that shit”

Which might sound hypocritical with some of the actions he took, but actions of an individual that would face consequences vs actions of an institution that are beyond oversight are very different beasts