We have heard about x-keyscore and the other mindboggling goverment malware available to NSA,CIA, and FBI. I feel like for true security you would have to throw your pre-tails computer that you did your intial DNM research on into a river, and buy a cheap craigslist 100-200 laptop with a gutted harddisk to truly begin a more secure OPsec.
Theres nothing that leads me to believe that the computer that Im using to get started with the DNM hasnt already been compromised from the first time I visited tor's website on the clearnet. Of course LE will not come with warrants every single person that has ever researched the topic, or even had a G mailed to their doorstep. But we can be sure that we are all being monitored from the jump! I think it should be written law to only use public computers to research the topic, and only begin your operations once you have a gutted laptop, only to be used on public wifi of course!
I may sound like a typical paranoid tin foil hat kinda guy, but its paranoia that is the fundemental cornerstone of Opsec.
I heard that the NSA has a backdoor in all computer monitors so they can see what you're doing in real time.