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Revealed: What Info the FBI Can Collect With a National Security Letter
An anonymous reader writes with this lead from Help Net Security's story on a topic we've touched on here many times: the broad powers arrogated by the Federal government in the form of National Security Letters: On Monday, after winning an eleven-year legal battle, Nicholas Merrill can finally tell the public how the FBI has secretly construed its authority to issue National Security Letters (NSLs) to permit collection of vast amounts of private information on US citizens without a search warrant or any showing of probable cause. The PATRIOT Act vastly expanded the domestic reach of the NSL program, which allows the FBI to compel disclosure of information from online companies and forbid recipients from disclosing they have received an NSL. The FBI has refused to detail publicly the kinds of private data it believes it can obtain with an NSL.
A key sentence from the same story: "Merrill is now able to reveal that the FBI believes it can force online companies to turn over the following information simply by sending an NSL demanding it: an individual’s complete web browsing history; the IP addresses of everyone a person has corresponded with; and records of all online purchases." Reader Advocatus Diaboli adds this, from The Intercept: One of the most striking revelations, Merrill said during a press teleconference, was that the FBI was requesting detailed cell site location information — cellphone tracking records — under the heading of "radius log" information. Traditionally, radius log refers to a user's attempts to connect to a server or a DSL line — a sort of anachronism given the progress of technology. "The notion that the government can collect cellphone location information — to turn your cellphone into a tracking device, just by signing a letter — is extremely troubling," Merrill said.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
I see no surprises. Everything that they have revealed has been known or suspected by anyone that gave it any real thought.
Also no surprise... The VAST majority of American citizens are to self-centered to care. They just don't care! 'It's not happening to me(that I know of) and I don't give a flying fuck about you.'
People are too stupid to care. This situation will get a hell of a lot worse before anyone tries to do anything about it. The perfect example is last Sunday's lie that the NSA was ceasing broad collection. Nobody knows about it, even fewer care about it and the NSA sure as hell didn't stop shit! But, who cares, right?
The FBI has refused to detail publicly the kinds of private data it believes it can obtain with an NSL.
The truly troubling part is not the specifics of what they collect, but the fact that they think that they should operate with no accountability to the citizenry. A government operating on secret interpretations of laws is entirely at odds with a democratic system.
If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
That's a lot like saying, "Some people don't like freedom."
A lot of people really don't like freedom. Real liberty might mean that other people can do things you don't approve of. They might adopt a lifestyle you don't like. They might want to marry a same-sex partner. They might want to smoke a joint in their own home. They might want to have consentual sex between adult people in which money is involved, or a position other than missionary. A willing buyer might want to purchase alcohol from a willing seller on a Sunday. Someone might want to own a gun in certain areas, or carry that gun concealed, both with no intention of shooting anyone unless mortally threatened. They might want to buy raw milk with a full understanding of any risk involved. They might want to collect rainwater. They might want to install roll bars (a safety feature) on their vehicle. They might want to generate their own electricity and go off-grid without the city condemning their property.
In some parts of the world they might want to practice an unapproved religion, educate their daughters, hear a woman sing, or explore their feelings for another consenting adult of the same sex.
All of these things are illegal somewhere. The urge to pry into the lives of others and worry about what other people are doing, how they are living, and find ways to stop them is rampant. There are large numbers of small-minded busybodies who seem to have no lives of their own, thus they need a piece of someone else's. Achieving the force of law is their ultimate wet dream. They like "freedom" when it means "things I personally approve of", which makes a mockery of what freedom actually is. Yes, one can reasonably conclude that lots and lots of people really don't like freedom.
If these UFOs people keep reporting actually are advanced aliens from a distant star system, it's no wonder they don't make open contact. They're looking down at us and saying, "clearly they aren't ready yet. All they seem to care about is controlling each other. They most admire the ones who are best at it, calling them great leaders."