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NSA Broke Privacy Rules Thousands of Times Per Year, Audit Finds
NettiWelho writes "The Washington Post reports: The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents. Most of the infractions involve unauthorized surveillance of Americans or foreign intelligence targets in the United States, both of which are restricted by law and executive order. They range from significant violations of law to typographical errors that resulted in unintended interception of U.S. e-mails and telephone calls."
We (the people) gave them a little power, and they grossly over stepped the bounds.
Thank God Snowden exposed the NSA programs so that now they are finally being scrutinized.
The question left is, what are we(the people) going to do about it?
I vote for dissolving the NSA and DoHS.
while(1) attack(People.Sandy);
I would like to meet someone (adult) that's surprised by these news.
I would like to know his answer to the question: "At which point in human history and in which location has a government not spied on its own citizens?".
I often wonder if people understand what "secret" means.
I doubt that. If the scandal continues to grow, as it looks likely to, these people will not have a lot to add to what is already known.
No, the main hurdles to neutering or disbanding the NSA are the strategic goals it serves, namely profiling of the population down to individual level, the intended chilling effects that come with blanket surveillance, and possibly a critical supporting role in establishing a totalitarian system. Being able to get rid of "undesirables" by tipping of law-enforcement (and these days it is almost impossible not to do something illegal when being online in the US) is also highly desirable. In addition, results from economic espionage must pay for a significant part of its operational budget.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
2776 for one year = 27,760,000 USD fines. Although this sort of mass scale violation should be considered a larger crime.
2776 with five years per violation is 13,880 years of jail time.
However consider more closely that these errors likely affect thousands to tens or even hundreds of thousands citizens privacy. instead of looking at all information from Egypt they looked at all of the communications for Washington DC. Extrapolating those numbers out to the reality of how much private information and how many people were illegally spied upon by the NSA and you can safely say this would bankrupt the executive branch pretty quickly.
Back in the day, all it took was one honest U.S. Attorney to see something like this and get a grand jury to indict the culpable officials, acting independently of corruption from above. Hell, a good lawyer could probably make a grand jury case for a RICO indictment against the whole administration.
Scruting the inscrutable for over 50 years.
George Washington
"no abuse and plenty of oversight"
"the check is in the mail"
I'll respect you in the morning"
Need I go on ??? After all, they ARE from the Government, and here to help. . . .
2008? I didn't know Obama POTUS then.
Well...
If the 'Obama'-recession started in 2007, and the 'Obama'-phone program started in 1984, he must have been president in 2008!
2008, 2007, 1984 What party were those presidents from? Oh yeah, that 'less government' party that keeps giving us more government.
Don't listen to what politicians say to you, look at what they actually do. Democrats spend too much money and Republicans spend even more.
Here is a person who was surprised by the audit results and had not seen them: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Head of the Senate Intelligence committee, directly in charge of congressional oversight of the NSA.
Ironically fear of abusers getting drugs guides things rather than legitimate, safe uses.
There are speed-like weight loss drugs that are safe and effective and used in many oyher countries. They are illegal in the US because addicts might illegally get ahold of them.
That's right. You can't get it because some addict might figure out a black market for it. I..e completely severed from your medical use.
Thanks for deciding that on our behalf. :( That our lives are worth less in legitimate use than an addict's through illegitimate.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
1916 US troops occupy the Dominican Republic
1917 US enters WW1
1941 The US enters WW2
1950 The US Invades Korea
1961 US invades the Bay of Pigs
1965 US combat troops enter Vietnam
What party were those presidents from? Oh yeah, the peace loving party. What party was the only president to ever detonate nuclear bombs against another country from?
Republicans are hawks, Democrats enter us in some of the biggest wars.
Republicans are supposed to be for family values, but how many get caught in extramarital affairs?
Democrats want to help the minorities. But almost the entire party fought the civil rights movement.
Don't listen to what any politician says. I'm starting to think that more often than not they will do(or have done) the exact opposite of what they tell you.