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NSA Data Mining Much Larger Than Reported
silassewell writes to tell us The New York Times is reporting that the "volume of information harvested from telecommunication data and voice networks, without court-approved warrants, is much larger than the White House has acknowledged." The NSA gained the cooperation of many American telecommunication companies after 9/11 to access streams of communication, both domestic and international, as a part of a presidentially approved program to hunt for evidence of terrorist activity.
Sometimes we have to make a choice when you are attacked by a group of terrorists.
Unlike terrorists groups that want money or people released these people want to destroy our way of life.
We have two options sit and wait for another attack to happen or we can be proactive.
I have no problem with a government computer scanning data from different sources, and flagging communications that could be terrorist planning another attack. Probably 99% data collected is never seen by a human being, just processed by the computer.
This leak of how the Government is tracking Terrorist is a bigger problem then the president calling for NSA to collect this data. Look at what happened when the Clinton administration was tracking Bin Laden, it leaked they could track him by his cell phone usage. He stopped using a cell phone and we lost a good way to track him and maybe could have stopped 9/11. Now they know we are looking at all communications, and will modify how they send information to different cells.
There is always a chance of this information being used for political reasons, similar to what happened in the Clinton administration. If Bush used it against political opponents then that would be a problem, and he would be held accountable
Wise men speak because they have something to say, Fools because they have to say something!!!!
Okay, I'm going to go way out on a limb here and expose myself to total mod annihilation. (but before you do, at least read down to my example of why I think it's a free country.)
I think a lot of the reaction here is glib and over the top. Does anyone remember what happened Sept 11, 2001?
Yeah, there has been a lot of "unauthorized" spying, but it looks to be pretty specific (e.g., Mosques... where large Muslim populations ostensibly would have privacy to worship). The United States was attacked and continues to be targeted for major future terror attacks. And, like it or not, the community most likely to cultivate, plan, and escalate this activity is Muslim. And, a country so viciously attacked would be naive, maybe even stupid to allow unfettered large gatherings where this planning could go on with no observation.
I cringe to think spying may go on, and may be necessary, but it isn't the same world as five years ago.
As for those complaining about the abridgement of their rights and rampant government interference I would ask you, have you or anyone you know observed or experienced serious interference in your life (lives)? I haven't, and I don't know anyone who has. I do know some people get caught in the quagmire that is the increased surveillance, but for now it's probably a dear price we're paying and will for a while.
However, let me give an example of the freedom in this country. A friend recently returned from visiting friends in California. She brought back as a souvenir three toilet paper sheets... from the TP roll where she stayed. Each of the sheets had printed on it a picture of George Bush and some choice quote by him. Hilarious? Maybe, depends on your point of view. Permissible? You bet!
I may not be happy the world is a bit more wrapped around the axle these days, but I am happy to live in a country that has enough freedom that you can print the president's face on toilet paper.
No, the New York Times was 'holding the story in a can' in order to release it when it could be used to the most political advantage: when it could be used as propaganda to defeat the PATRIOT act.
Which Democrats and leftists should be happy about. (it lets them slam the NYT where they like, yet claim 'it is not an organ of the left' where they like.)
resigned