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No Upper Bound On Phone Record Collection, Says NSA

Posted by timothy on from the don't-write-a-blank-check-to-the-government dept.

PCWorld reports that "[A] U.S. surveillance court has given the National Security Agency no limit on the number of U.S. telephone records it collects in the name of fighting terrorism, the NSA director said Thursday. The NSA intends to collect all U.S. telephone records and put them in a searchable 'lock box' in the interest of national security, General Keith Alexander, the NSA's director, told U.S. senators." But don't worry; it's just metadata, until it isn't. (Your row in the NSA database may already be getting cozy in its nice new home in Utah.)

6 of 238 comments (clear)

  1. Foil hats? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Shinny side out or in?

    1. Re:Foil hats? by cold+fjord · · Score: 5, Funny

      The shiny side should face what you're trying to protect.

      If you don't want them reading your brain waves, the shiny side goes on the inside to prevent the brain waves from leaking out.

      If you don't want them using mind control beams on you, the shiny side goes on the outside to keep the mind control beams out.

      If you're worried about both, then you need to go double layer with a shiny side facing both in and out.

      If you think the molemen might be involved, then you should put a layer in the bottoms of your shoes, and maybe in your underwear.

      --
      much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
    2. Re:Foil hats? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      You can't have the shiny sides facing each other, jeez. The mind control waves will become trapped between the two shiny faces and cause massive heat build up. This is basic tin foil hat theory guys, come on.

  2. An example of the metadata... by QilessQi · · Score: 5, Funny

    The frequency and amplitude of the phone conversation, sampled at 1-millisecond intervals.

    Just metadata.

    --
    Koans and fables for the software engineer
  3. NSA=commie by sjames · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wasn't it always the dirty commies that spied on their own people and didn't care if they liked it or not?

    Why does the NSA hate democracy?

  4. Re:Intends to? by Dunbal · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yeah it's just metadata. Like if I rob a bank electronically and put the money in my bank account. It's just metadata, numbers, an electronic "bank balance". It's only real when I go to the ATM... right.

    --
    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.