NSA to Become Government Net 'Traffic Cop?'

OriginalArlen writes "The NSA may be appointed 'Internet traffic cop', overseeing data sharing among US government agencies for Homeland Security, according to an A.P. report on SecurityFocus. Apparently the aim is to improve security of all government networks." This would seem to follow in the footsteps of creating the Department of Homeland Security, since the aim is to enable better sharing of data between government institutions.

Comments

Interesting Statistic

[bigtallmofo]

If the NSA becomes the "Internet Traffic Cop", can it be said that 99.9% of the NSA's budget is devoted to pornography?

erm...

[REBloomfield]

I can't read the article, as my wonderful UK Government overseers have deemed it bad enough to go on the proxy blacklist, but... how is policing Government networks the same as policing the entire Internet???

My Rights Online?

[yotto]

How does this affect MRO? They're not looking at my traffic, impeding my traffic, or even thinking about my traffic. They're routing government traffic.

And they're a government agency. /confused.

Oh that.

[Anonymous Coward]

That's hyperbole.

It's how we have debates over here in America. First we take out the facts. Look at them. Create the most extreme, yet superficially similar argument from them. Then we shoot them in the head, and bury them in a shallow grave. If anyone dares to impugn our integrity we first call them a "name-caller" but in much less flattering terms, and cite the fact that they are thus as proof of their unreasonable bias. If that doesn't work, we turn of their mic while our friends yell at them until we throw to commercial.

Why do we behave in such a course, pointless and ignorant manner? A good question. I'm glad you asked it. We do it for the children. Now I've really got to take a break.

Re:DHS is redundant

[Wyatt Earp]

That's because you don't understand what NSA does.

"The National Security Agency (NSA) is a United States government agency responsible for both the collection and analysis of message communications, and for the security of government communications against similar agencies elsewhere. It is a part of the Department of Defense. Its eavesdropping brief includes radio broadcasting, both from organizations and individuals, the Internet, and other intercepted forms of communication, especially confidential communications. Its secure communications brief includes military, diplomatic, and all other sensitive, confidential or secret government communications."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSA

"The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a Cabinet department of the federal government of the United States that is concerned with protecting the American homeland and the safety of American citizens. This department was created primarily from a conglomeration of existing federal agencies in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Depar tm ent_of_Homeland_Security

Office of the Secretary
Directorate of Border and Transportation Security
Transportation Security Administration
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Directorate of Emergency Preparedness and Resonse
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Directorate of Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection
National Cyber Security Division
Directorate of Science and Technology
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S. Coast Guard
U.S. Secret Service