NSA Whistleblowers Reveal Extent of Eavesdropping

ma11achy was one of several readers to write about claims made by two former military intercept operators who worked for the NSA that "Despite pledges by President George W. Bush and American intelligence officials to the contrary, hundreds of US citizens overseas have been eavesdropped on as they called friends and family back home." Ars Technica has a brief report as well, and reader net_shaman adds a link to Glenn Greenwald's opinion piece on the eavesdropping at Salon.

Comments

Re:Terrible reporting. A little perspective...

[Anonymous Coward]

Two things:

1)When I was doing this 20 years ago, it was drilled and drilled and drilled that we were NOT to intercept Americans.

2)There was (and I'm sure there still is) a thing called "tip off"; if you came across a conversation not targeted you were supposed to "tip off" to the appropriate group/individual and roll on, staying on your assigned target. You never knew when the trick chief was listening and we did not get caught staying on something we weren't assigned.

Is this generation not so strenuously warned against intercepting Americans?

What happened to targeted topics for intercept and 'tip off'? Is it anything and everything now?

I'm thinking things have changed and not for the better.

Re:Terrible reporting. A little perspective...

[PopeRatzo]

I'd also imagine an Obama administration would be more friendly to these whistle blowers but even McCain could use it show he's cleaning things up if so inclined.

Actually, Senator Obama co-sponsored legislation to strengthen whistleblower protection. McCain? Wasn't there for the vote.