As more information is shared about the information “our” government is compiling and tracking on “us” the citizen/taxpayers the more uncomfortable I am living in this society. Paranoia is not my nature. Hoping for the best in all, with a little cynicism that has come with experience, is closer to my reference point in viewing these matters. However, here is more fuel to be sure that we exercise power over our government and not the reverse – which seems to be the current status.
Here’s one of the loops…..NSA has to target communications where one party is outside of the US.
“There is an ambiguity in the law about what it means to ‘target’ someone,” Mr. Edgar, now a visiting professor at Brown, said. “You can never intentionally target someone inside the United States. Those are the words we were looking at. We were most concerned about making sure the procedures only target communications that have one party outside the United States.”
The rule they ended up writing, which was secretly approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, says that the N.S.A. must ensure that one of the participants in any conversation that is acquired when it is searching for conversations about a targeted foreigner must be outside the United States, so that the surveillance is technically directed at the foreign end.
Grandmother in Italy? Girlfriend in France? Son in Canada? Open season.
I was a little surprised to learn that since nearly all of Massachusetts is within 100 miles of a coastline, we are all subject to DHS laws involving the seizure of electronic devices without suspicion.
Here is a link to an article in Wired Magazine – not exactly a conspiracy blog.
I have not read of this regularly happening except at actual border crossings (i.e. Canada and Mexico), but DHS has ruled that it is legal for them to seize electronics – without any reasonable suspicion required – within 100 miles of a border, and a border includes the coastline.
One might say “well, they’re not abusing this power” – but that is exactly how we got to where we are regarding the comprehensive monitoring and tracking of Americans within the USA.
There have been so many revelations in the past couple of months, I don’t even know where we could begin to reign all this stuff in. No one in Congress seems to be stepping up to the task either.
Our leader has appointed James Clapper, the liar, to investigate. Wonder what the results will be?
How was the information copied in the first place? It seems there is no information security at NSA. Man comes in with thumb drives. Is able to download scads of data. Walks out with supposedly important data. No software tripwires in place. No audit trail. No physical security. No heads roll at TSA?
Seems like anything goes at NSA, except accountability and responsibility. Even the operation allows for foreign contractors. Does the average high school website has better security?
Maybe 25 years or so ago I was told how the Massachusetts DoR was required to allow state police access to the tax data base for the sake of investigating criminal activity. The officers came in, were given access to computer records and promptly accessed Massachusetts sports figures’ income, significant Ex’s records, politicians, etc. The criminal investigation became secondary. What are the chances the NSA users are doing the same type of unauthorized activity? A tool for extortion? Blackmail? Stalking? Maybe the powers that be in NSA don’t even know what is going on and don’t care.
Anyone wonder why politicians vote as they do? Maybe extortion is cheaper than bribery…
“From such beginnings of governments, what could be expected, but a continual system of war and extortion?” –Thomas Paine