Snowden says he could see what I do on the web.

[MineralMan]

I know who can really see what everyone does:

Amazon. Google. eBay. The bank that issues my credit and debit card. My cable company. Other websites. And they use that information constantly to try to get me to buy some more stuff. Everywhere I go, I see references to what I buy, and even to what I look at on the Internet. That's who is watching what I do, not the NSA.

And they do it very, very well and intently. They're very interested in my purchases and interests, and they're interested in your purchases and interests. The NSA couldn't give a shit what you or I buy, or anyone else who isn't a target of their investigations. They could see it if they wanted to, just like Amazon, Google, and my bank can, but they don't give a shit.

We're looking at the wrong people when we start worrying about our imagined "privacy." In the first place, we don't have any privacy. We gave it up long ago to the banks and the stores and the other places where we do business. And we did it willingly. If anyone needs something to worry about, that would be my suggestion. Worry about all those people who do care what you buy, look at, or covet during the day. Those people are watching what you do. They're doing that because you're of interest to them.

The NSA is not interested in me or you or anyone else on DU. Why would they be? But Amazon and Google and all of those other corporations are very interested and are actively doing what people are insisting that the NSA is doing.

It would be funny, but it's not, and we give our permission for that kind of intrusive surveillance.

[giftedgirl77]

1. Logic has no place in this discussion.

[MineralMan]

2. I suppose you are right.

I keep trying, though. I can't help myself.

[giftedgirl77]

3. I give you kudos. You have alot more patience

then I do. I spend a lot of time typing & deleting. I've gotten a lot better at not letting things get to me so much but I'm still a hot head & don't deal well with silly ass nonsense. The tollroad thread killed me, I had to interject there. As I said earlier today must be faux outrage Thursday.

[MineralMan]

4. I prefer taco Thursday, really.

[giftedgirl77]

5. Whatever works..

Gotta keep it spicy.

[greatauntoftriplets]

27. They were good for laughs!

[Cha]

66. I'm sure they were..

"Obama tolls "

[greatauntoftriplets]

75. And it's still raging today!

"Obama tolls" indeed. I hear that he invented toll roads before he was even born!

[okaawhatever]

105. in Kenya. lolz. nt

[Cha]

108. Thanks Obama! I tell ya when they think they

smell blood in the water they go Off on their little feeding frenzy that sadly only exposes how ridiculous they are.

[giftedgirl77]

110. Faux outrage Thursday turned into Freakout Friday

over these stupid ass tolls.

[Cha]

114. ..

[greatauntoftriplets]

113. And the ironic thing is, nothng might happen.

It's up to the states to decide what they want to do about tolls. President Obama has only proposed giving states the option. But what do I know, I'm in a state (Illinois) that already has four tolls roads. And there's always an alternate route for those who refuse to pay.

[giftedgirl77]

115. You know it's getting to be downright childish.

[Cha]

116. Oh I know.. but they have

to get all steamed up.. that's what they do.

[JDPriestly]

120. I don't mind if my knitting yarn company watches what I do online.

I presume that they make no profit from watching me express my political opinions.

But when whoever is in the White House uses taxpayer money to watch me talk about politics, religion and my personal life with my friends and acquaintances, a red flag goes up.

Granted, private parties can use the information they glean from my electronic communications to profile me. But what are they going to do with it besides profile me?

We do need a law prohibiting employers or companies that might provide employers or lenders or people who have some control over our lives from obtaining our electronic profiles, but beyond that, I really don't mind if a seed catalog company or a clothing sales company observes my internet browsing and sends me ads for things I have shown an interest in.

The government has too much power over people's lives to allow it to enter into our private spheres. I have been trying to find a copy of the report I read yesterday online (the link was on DU) of the report to President Obama on the serious problem of the collection of metadata and other data from the internet by the government and on other aspects of privacy in the electronic era. I hope you find it. It may answer some of the questions your post raises.

The capacity of the government and private entities to collect our metadata requires us to rethink protecting privacy and writing new laws and regulations that permit us to enjoy the privacy that we need to be human beings and to participate in a democracy.

The surveillance by our government violates our Constitution in a a number of ways -- almost every right protected on our behalves by the Constitution is jeopardized by the government's generalized collection of metadata and even more so by the collection of other data without a warrant.

This is a serious problem. A lot of people think it isn't because they just don't understand what the government has the capacity to do with the metadata. I hate to be condescending, but this is a problem, a very, very serious problem that should not be taken lightly.

The invention of gunpowder revolutionized the world. It gave those who had gun powder a significant advantage in war and permitted small countries like England to invade, conquer and rule large countries like India.

The ability of government and private entities to amass and analyze our electronic data and metadata is as significant as the development of gunpowder. It will change the world. If we don't want to have to choose either to live as recluses without electronic media, we will have to work together to limit the collection and use of our private data. And this effort needs to be international.

People are thinking that the paradigm of the past still exists. It doesn't. This is not a question to be passive about. This is something that we the people have to take charge of and control. Otherwise those in the government and out of it will be in charge of us in no time.

[Cali_Democrat]

6. This is why many pro-Snowden folks are libertarian

As you stated in your OP, corporations have loads of information about us and our habits.

Most libertarians have no problem with corporations, it's the government that they can't stand. So when the government (NSA) collects the kind of data that corporations do, they will protest loudly.

[MineralMan]

8. So it seems to me, as well.

I always ask myself who benefits. For the NSA, there is no benefit in monitoring me. For corporations, though, the benefit is clear. Simple logic.

[Jesus Malverde]

10. That many keep trying to marginalize snowden

He's a libertarian, his supporters are too, shows the inability to address the actual issue of surveillance without attacking the messenger.

The message sucks this is the most complete surveillance state in the history of mankind. We have unelected officials who make J edgar hoover look like a school boy.

[randome]

33. The actual issue regarding surveillance is that the NSA is forbidden from spying on Americans.

If Snowden had evidence they are routinely violating this, I would be happy to elevate him to the status of saint.

But he never offers specifics of anything. He always couches his 'announcements' in generalities. "I could have spied on the President." "I could have seen what you buy online."

How could he have done those things? By looking into a crystal ball? Maybe he can tell us how that's possible. But he won't. Because he can't.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Aspire to inspire.[/center][/font][hr]

[RKP5637]

35. Me, I love watching the kitty!

[Cha]

67. Ol Eddie and his big mouth marginalizes himself.

[WillyT]

12. And Why So Many Anti-Snowden Folks Are Pro-Authoritarian...

"I'm so scared."

[Jesus Malverde]

19. Libertarian!

[Cali_Democrat]

65. Actually I think much of what the NSA does is overkill

I'm opposed to both, but it seems to me some folks are only concerned about government surveillance and not corporate surveillance.

Libertarians if you will.

[Andrew73]

138. Exactly

Facebook = Gladly given information
Government = Offended when they have it

[Jesus Malverde]

7. The NSA isn't interested in conformist, white knights.

They are interested in those that can disrupt the system, make lasting change in America, and challenge the status quo.

There are plenty of those people here.

The difference between the banks, credit agencies etc, is we opt into those systems. The government surveillance doesn't allow that.

Take a cell phone for instance, how many people would choose a company that told it's subscribers they were listening to their conversations? When we do business we have a choice where to do it, not so much with our government.

People get creeped out by private sector intrusion like keyword monitoring for ads and stop using those services. Those choices don't exist with the government.

[MineralMan]

9. Anyone who posts openly on DU

about their political beliefs is not a target of the NSA, I'm quite certain. You can rest easy.

[Gravitycollapse]

13. "I'm quite certain. You can rest easy." - Oh thank god because the mountains of evidence...

had me pretty worried but now that MineralMan has proclaimed all is safe, I can finally let down my guard.

[MineralMan]

21. I'm glad to be of help in

easing your mind.

[randome]

34. Go ahead and list that 'mountain of evidence', please.

There is none.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Aspire to inspire.[/center][/font][hr]

[Gravitycollapse]

38. "There is none." - Here you go...

http://www.reddit.com/r/NSALeaks/wiki/stuff

Tuesday 18 March 2014

MYSTIC : 100% voice collection of phone calls for a 30 day time period
Monday 17 March 2014

Guardian editor receives European Press award for Edward Snowden story | Alan Rusbridger given award for NSA revelations that 'set alarm bells ringing throughout the world'
Saturday 15 March 2014

Rand Paul and Berkeley: libertarian and leftwing hotbed find common cause | The rightwing firebrand's outspoken criticism of NSA surveillance has struck a chord with a young liberal audience

Compare the NSA’s Facebook Malware Denial to its Own Secret Documents

Public apathy over GCHQ snooping is a recipe for disaster | The lack of public alarm at government internet surveillance is frightening, but perhaps it's because the problem is difficult to convey in everyday terms

Compare the NSA’s Facebook Malware Denial to its Own Secret Documents

Public apathy over GCHQ snooping is a recipe for disaster | The lack of public alarm at government internet surveillance is frightening, but perhaps it's because the problem is difficult to convey in everyday terms

Friday 14 March 2014

How the US intelligence community attempts to rebrand itself – on Tumblr | IC On The Record is a web clearinghouse of formerly classified documents related to NSA surveillance and an exercise in transparency

In sudden announcement, US to give up control of DNS root zone | Signs point to fallout from NSA spying that lead to "multi-stakeholder" model.

Britain is treating journalists as terrorists – believe me, I know | My links to WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden mean I am treated as a threat and can't return to the UK. We need a free speech roadmap

Privacy commissioner seeks better surveillance guidelines | Timothy Pilgrim says police access to private communications ‘should be proportional to the risk they seek to address’

Top Democrat on House intelligence panel offers new NSA reform plan | Top Democrat on House intelligence committee says details are still being worked on but proposal would end bulk collection

In sudden announcement, US to give up control of DNS root zone | Signs point to fallout from NSA spying that lead to "multi-stakeholder" model.

How the US intelligence community attempts to rebrand itself – on Tumblr | IC On The Record is a web clearinghouse of formerly classified documents related to NSA surveillance and an exercise in transparency

Thursday 13 March 2014

Edward Snowden looms over Pulitzer Prizes

A Close Look at the NSA’s Most Powerful Internet Attack Tool

Mark Zuckerberg: US government surveillance is a threat to the internet | Facebook founder reveals he personally called President Obama to express ‘frustration over the damage government is creating’

US criticised by UN for human rights failings on NSA, guns and drones | Geneva panel share deep concerns over US record on host of different subjects, including racial inequality and Guantánamo

Foreign Officials In the Dark About Their Own Spy Agencies’ Cooperation with NSA

A Close Look at the NSA’s Most Powerful Internet Attack Tool

Edward Snowden looms over Pulitzer Prizes

Wednesday 12 March 2014

How the NSA Plans to Infect ‘Millions’ of Computers with Malware

MetaPhone: The Sensitivity of Telephone Metadata

European lawmakers threaten US trade veto unless EU tackles snooping | Vote stems from investigation into Snowden spy allegations; Data protection big issue going into European elections

Dutch intelligence illegally shared data with foreign services, says report | Sharing a selection of signals intelligence data without permission is illegal, the committee found

Alexander: Promote Cyber Command to full unified command status

How a Court Secretly Evolved, Extending U.S. Spies’ Reach Tuesday 11 March 2014

The CIA: the double life of Dianne Feinstein | The exasperation with the Democratic senator from California is that she hasn't also directed her outrage at the NSA

An online Magna Carta: Berners-Lee calls for bill of rights for web | Exclusive: web's inventor warns neutrality under sustained attack from governments and corporations

The NSA won’t shut up about Snowden, but what about the spy who stole more? | Why the incoming NSA chief needs to crack down on international espionage, not worthy whistleblowing - Mike German

CIA steals the limelight from the NSA – and finds itself in full-blown crisis | By antagonizing the Senate intelligence committee, the agency has dug itself into a hole the NSA has managed to avoid

Enemies of the Internet 2014 - RSF: entities at the heart of censorship and surveillance | The NSA in the United States, GCHQ in the United Kingdom and the Centre for Development of Telematics in India are no better than their Chinese, Russian, Iranian or Bahraini counterparts.

EU Parliament may reject privacy package | The European Parliament will vote on an action plan on the future of data protection in the EU on Wednesday. Despite allegations of mass surveillance, the package may be rejected.

Michael Rogers goes before Senate committee to outline vision for NSA | Rogers, selected to replace Keith Alexander, only testifying because of simultaneous nomination to head Cyber Command

NSA nominee Michael Rogers: agency must be more accountable to US public | Obama’s pick to replace Keith Alexander promises greater transparency but declines to offer fresh ideas on bulk data collection

Australia's intelligence watchdog backs reform of surveillance regime | Inspector General of Intelligence and Security calls for legal changes to strengthen privacy protections and meet national security objectives

Monday 10 March 2014

ACLU's vastly better video of Edward Snowden's SXSW interview.

Snowden has shown the 'huge disparity of surveillance and power', says Gellman | Government needs reminding that they work for us, says Pulitzer-winning reporter Barton Gellman, who describes Edward Snowden as ending an era of indifference to surveillance

Ed Snowden interview live at SXSW >>>Video

Edward Snowden discusses NSA leaks at SXSW: 'I would do it again,' insists leaks have strengthened national security.

Sunday 9 March 2014

Liberal Democrats vote for bill to outlaw 'bulk collection of data' | Bill would also establish commission of experts to check NSA files leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden
Saturday 8 March 2014

Julian Assange tells SXSW audience: ‘NSA has grown to be a rogue agency’ | Wikileaks founder: ‘All of us have to do something’; Interview conducted from Ecuador’s London embassy
Friday 7 March 2014

Julian Assange: Is President Obama wearing pants?

Kill the Snowden interview, congressman tells SXSW | Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo wants organizers of South by Southwest Interactive to back out of their scheduled video conference interview of Edward Snowden.

Snowden: I raised NSA concerns internally over 10 times before going rogue

Digital bill of rights needed to safeguard online freedoms, says Lib Dem chief | Tim Farron to call for public protection from 'overreach by the state' after its imposition of 'blanket surveillance' on UK

Court rejects NSA request to keep data

The NSA Has An Advice Columnist. Seriously.

Eric Schmidt on dictators: 'You don’t turn off the internet: you infiltrate it' | We’re pretty sure right now that the info. that’s inside of Google is safe from any government’s prying eyes, including the US government’s… We were attacked by the Chinese in 2010, we were attacked by the NSA in 2013

Oakland emails re: pervasive citywide spying center - the Domain Awareness Center or DAC - give another glimpse into the Google-Military-Surveillance Complex

ACLU Asks Appeals Court to Undo Phone Data Ruling

Thursday 6 March 2014

Bruce Schneier: There's no real difference between online espionage & online attacks. Let's not pretend there is.
Wednesday 5 March 2014

CIA and senators in bitter dispute over Capitol Hill spying claims. CIA asserts claims by Senate intelligence overseers were “spurious” and “wholly unsupported by the facts”, suggests committee itself may be guilty of wrongdoing.
Tuesday 4 March 2014

US State Dept: “Surveillance should not be arbitrary,” except when it is | State Department official reiterates president's January policy on digital snooping.

NSA chief criticises media and suggests UK was right to detain David Miranda | Keith Alexander says revelations have caused ‘grave damage’ and claims officials are making ‘headway’ on ‘media leaks’

Monday, March 10: Edward Snowden to Speak at SXSW Interactive Via Videoconference

Journalist: NSA won’t give me a secure channel to communicate on | Barton Gellman, who has access to Snowden docs, laments lack of opsec.

Reform plans for spies need to be closely watched | Serious questions remain unanswered; No decisions until after general election

New rules to tighten up spy services | German parliament plans to tighten its oversight of German intelligence services in a attempt to win back voters' trust after the NSA and NSU scandals.

TrustyCon 2014: NSA Surveillance “a benign enemy”, says Bruce Schneier | Reuters Technology reporter Joseph Menn interviewed security expert Schneier in front of TrustyCon audience in San Francisco, where the security expert provided his analysis of the government surveillance controversy

TrustyCon 2014: NSA Surveillance “a benign enemy”, says Bruce Schneier | Reuters Technology reporter Joseph Menn interviewed security expert Schneier in front of TrustyCon audience in San Francisco, where the security expert provided his analysis of the government surveillance controversy

Monday 3 March 2014

Yahoo users' webcam chats are so saucy they're even upsetting the spies | I do think a bit of privacy is a good idea – but, these days, blanket CCTV, NHS records, phone tapping and now general spying has put paid to all that

Nick Clegg orders review into data gathering by spy agencies | Deputy PM commissions independent report after failing to persuade David Cameron of need for reform of oversight Sunday 2 March 2014

Labour to overhaul spy agency controls in response to Snowden files | Yvette Cooper says debate over privacy, civil liberties and the role of the intelligence agencies has barely started in Britain

FEBRUARY
Friday 28 February 2014

Mysterious ‘flying saucer’ slides found in documents leaked by Edward Snowden

GCHQ identified Kinect as possible snooping tool; Microsoft denies all knowledge

US Senators to investigate NSA role in GCHQ 'Optic Nerve' webcam spying. Three senators condemn UK spy agency’s ‘breathtaking lack of respect’ over interception of Yahoo users’ webcam images.

Thursday 27 February 2014

GCHQ's interception and storage of Yahoo webcam images condemned | Critics react angrily to revelation that GCHQ intercepted and stored millions of images of people not suspected of wrongdoing

UK spy agency intercepted webcam images of millions of Yahoo users; Optic Nerve program collected Yahoo webcam images in bulk. 1.8m users targeted by GCHQ in six-month period alone

GCHQ's cover for Optic Nerve provided by legislation introduced in 2000 | Section 8 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act permits GCHQ to perform indiscriminate trawls of external data

NSA robots are 'collecting' your data, too, and they're getting away with it | Eavesdropping by algorithm is still eavesdropping, whether a human looks at your data or not. Real reform can’t abide by the spy dictionary anymore

Outgoing NSA chief Keith Alexander signals openness to surveillance reform | Alexander says NSA could accept a change where agency would only be allowed to collect phone data related to terrorism

MPs summon security services watchdog over Snowden leaks | Sir Mark Waller, intelligence services commissioner, has repeatedly refused to address home affairs select committee

Wednesday 26 February 2014

NSA wants to keep phone records longer

DOJ Still Ducking Scrutiny After Misleading Supreme Court on Surveillance

NSA reform advocates oppose White House proposal to hand data to FBI | Jim Sensenbrenner among those concerned by proposals on the table and says stance to end bulk surveillance is ‘unwavering’

Obama assessing four alternatives to NSA phone data collection: WSJ | Proposals range from placing the program under phone companies to abolishing it altogether

Tuesday 25 February 2014

RSA chief faults NSA for security industry mistrust
Monday 24 February 2014

How Covert Agents Infiltrate the Internet to Manipulate, Deceive, and Destroy Reputations - Glenn Greenwald

Brazil, Europe plan undersea cable to skirt U.S. spying | Brazil and the European Union agreed on Monday to lay an undersea communications cable from Lisbon to Fortaleza to reduce Brazil's reliance on the United States after Washington spied on Brasilia.

Deutsche Telekom releases voice and text message encryption app | German parent company of T-Mobile responds to privacy concerns in wake of Edward Snowden's revelations

Facebook's Zuckerberg sounds off again about NSA scandal | CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the NSA spy scandal that broke this past summer has strained some of the company's relationships overseas.

Inside the mind of James Clapper

Q&A: Daniel Ellsberg on US surveillance | The famed American whistle-blower discusses US national security, and those who expose its overreach.

Sunday 23 February 2014

U.S. now bugging German ministers in place of Merkel: report | NSA has stepped up its surveillance of senior German government officials since being ordered by Barack Obama to halt its spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel, Bild am Sonntag paper reported on Sunday.
Friday 21 February 2014

George Brandis refuses to back up claim that Snowden put lives at risk | Attorney general says he is aware of particular cases on the basis of intelligence briefings but will not reveal the information

Crypto weaknesses in WhatsApp “the kind of stuff the NSA would love” | Poor implementation of SSL encryption could be a boon to eavesdroppers.

Thuesday 20 February 2014

Rand Paul: The NSA is still violating our rights, despite what James Clapper says | Clapper thinks if the NSA had informed us they were monitoring every American, that would somehow make it OK. It doesn't

NSA slap-down: Feds lose court try to curb mocking T-shirts | A Minnesota man who was sent a cease-and-desist letter by the federal government over his sales of merchandise, which mocks the National Security Agency’s citizen surveillance activities, has won his legal battle.

New Details of Attack on Yemeni Wedding Prompt More Demands Obama Explain Drone Policy

Wednesday 19 February 2014

David Miranda detention at Heathrow airport was lawful, high court rules | Detention of former Guardian journalist's partner was justified by 'very pressing' interests of national security, judges say

On the UK’s Equating of Journalism with Terrorism - Glenn Greenwald

Tuesday 18 February 2014

Edward Snowden 'humbled' by his election as Glasgow University rector | In statement to the Guardian, NSA whistleblower describes vote as bold and historic decision in support of academic freedom

By Targeting WikiLeaks and Its Readers, NSA and GCHQ Have Directly Attacked Press Freedom - Freedom of the Press Foundation

Snowden Documents Reveal Covert Surveillance and Pressure Tactics Aimed at WikiLeaks and Its Supporters

Snowden lawyer stopped at airport | An American lawyer representing former NSA contractor Edward Snowden was detained and “harassed” at London’s Heathrow airport

Merkel phone tapping fair game under international law, says ex-MI6 deputy | Nigel Inkster says interception of German chancellor's calls by NSA might be judged 'politically unwise'

Press freedom groups urge David Cameron to lay off The Guardian

US intelligence chief: NSA should have been more open about data collection | James Clapper tells interviewer the spy agency could have avoided controversy by being up front with American citizens

Monday 17 February 2014

Indonesian minister says reports of Australia spying are 'mind-boggling' | Marty Natalegawa says it’s hard to believe Australia could let its spies help US officials locked in trade disputes with Jakarta
Sunday 16 February 2014

Journalists who broke NSA story in Guardian receive George Polk Awards | Ewen MacAskill, Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras honoured.; Polk curator: repercussions of NSA ‘will be with us for years’

Australia does not spy for commercial purposes, says Tony Abbott | ‘We collect intelligence to save lives,’ says PM, asked about revelations Australia spied on law firm representing Indonesia

Germany is 'planning to step up counter-espionage': report | Germany is planning to possibly resume counter-espionage measures against several Western allies, according to a report in the news magazine Spiegel. The report said British and US embassies could be targeted.

Indonesia says ties with Australia will remain on ice for at least six months | Full diplomatic links not expected to be restored until October, notes Indonesian ministry document

Indonesia: Australia and US need to clean up their mess | Presidential adviser responds to ‘perplexing revelation’ that ASD spied on a law firm representing Indonesia in a trade dispute

Saturday 15 February 2014

Australia spied on Indonesia talks with US law firm in 2013 | Australia and the US share access to bulk Indonesian telecommunications data, including those of Indonesian officials; US mentored Australia to break encryption codes of the PNG army

US law firm was 'caught in NSA surveillance net' in Indonesia – report | New York Times reports Australian trade-talks surveillance; Unnamed firm was retained by Indonesian government

Making NSA-style spying harder, CloudFlare offers more robust Web crypto | Full (strict) Transport Layer Security is now ready for prime time.

Data protection: Angela Merkel proposes Europe network | German Chancellor Angela Merkel is proposing building up a European communications network to help improve data protection.

Friday 14 February 2014

Obama DOJ’s New Abuse of State-Secrets Privilege Revealed

Rights groups begin UK court challenge over mass surveillance | Full hearing at investigatory powers tribunal scheduled for July into legality of programmes including Tempora and Prism

Where is Microsoft Bing's transparency report? | Bing's search algorithm is failing to protect online freedom of expression. Microsoft can – and should – do better on China

Thursday 13 February 2014

NSA civilian employee stripped of clearance due to ties with Snowden | The employee resigned amid allegations that he let Snowden use his access to NSANet.

Snowden 'left in the lurch' by EU Parliament | An EU parliament's committee has issued a damning report about the scale and the impact of mass surveillance. But there is no consensus on an amendment to give asylum to intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.

Wednesday 12 February 2014

Committee to Protect Journalists: NSA actions pose 'direct threat to journalism'. Could destroy confidence between reporter & source, increase anti-democratic censorship and promote cyber-attacks against reporters globally

Utah lawmaker floats bill to cut off NSA data centre's water supply. Impending bill highlights growing movement at state level against government surveillance powers.

Clapper Reads from the Bush/Cheney/Nixon Playbook to Fear-monger over Transparency

Congressional trio criticise James Cole's NSA testimony as misleading | Lawmakers write to deputy attorney general after Cole described limits on NSA’s power to surveil members of Congress

Press freedom under attack - the risks journalists face in order to report

UK slips down press freedom index due to harassment of the Guardian | US also registers fall in latest world press freedom indexreach no consensus on amendment to inquiry calling on governments to assure NSA whistleblower of his safety

Edward Snowden asylum demand dropped by European parliament | MEPs reach no consensus on amendment to inquiry calling on governments to assure NSA whistleblower of his safety

Remembering Aaron Swartz: icon of the open web | One year after the tragic death of the campaigning hacker, a global campaign against surveillance is building the Don’t Spy On Us campaign in his spirit

Tuesday 11 February 2014

Everything We Know About How the NSA Tracks People's Physical Location | With Monday's new revelation, we can see the NSA's two-pronged system for finding out where people are.

Rand Paul is suing the NSA | “I am filing a lawsuit against President Barack Obama because he has publicly refused to stop a clear and continuing violation of the 4th Amendment,” Paul said in a statement announcing his filing of a class-action lawsuit against the NSA.

Five surveillance myths stalling NSA reform, debunked | The Day We Fight Back deserves truth amidst the administration’s half-truths and trolling. From thwarted attacks (zero) to President Obama’s new rules (not good enough), this is what you need to know to make real reform happen

Appelbaum: 'No belief that president has control' | Jacob Appelbaum is one of the leading US computer security activists and, along with Laura Poitras, a confidant of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. DW spoke to Appelbaum about the NSA and living in exile.

Dutch interior minister under fire over misinformation on wiretapping | A Dutch cabinet minister faced calls to quit on Tuesday after admitting he wrongly told parliament that 1.8 million telecommunications intercepts had been collected by the U.S. NSA, rather than the Dutch spy service.

Number of data interception requests to GCHQ 'possibly too large', says official | Interception communications commissioner Sir Anthony May says requests amount to 570,000 a year

Maryland lawmakers look to cut off NSA's water, power

Scott Ludlam's support of Snowden 'celebrates treachery', says Brandis | George Brandis says former NSA contractor’s disclosures about western intelligence gathering ‘put Australian lives at risk’

The Terrible Toll of Secrecy

Anti-NSA web protest comes to Congress

Monday 10 February 2013

Feb. 11 Is 'The Day We Fight Back' Against NSA Surveillance | More than 5,300 web-based companies and other organizations, including Reddit, Imgur, Tumblr, Mozilla the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the ACLU, have joined forces to protest National Security Agency surveillance on Feb. 11.

Snowden plea bargain speculation played down by ex-CIA and NSA chief | Michael Hayden says he sees little appetite for deal with whistleblower, and portrays US surveillance reforms as limited

White House urged to open up review into big data and privacy threats | Groups send a letter to Obama demanding public participation in the process, saying it’s the public’s ‘future that is at stake’

Ed Miliband calls for US-style debate over Britain's intelligence agencies | Labour leader calls for examination of oversight of GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 in wake of Edward Snowden leaks

The NSA’s Secret Role in the U.S. Assassination Program

Internet surveillance: today is the day we fight back | The debate in Australia is subdued – thanks to a government who wants to shut it down in the name of national security. It’s time to turn up the volume - Scott Ludlam

Ed Felten provides a deeper look into the "25% phone collection" claim

New Photos of the NSA and Other Top Intelligence Agencies Revealed for First Time

Saturday 8 February 2013

The terrifying surveillance case of Brandon Mayfield | With NSA overreach, nobody is safe from confirmation bias

Snowden Used Low-Cost Tool to Best NSA | Intelligence officials say that Edward Snowden used inexpensive and widely available web crawler software to “scrape” the NSA’s networks, and kept at it even after he was briefly challenged by agency officials.

Friday 7 February 2013

Guilty Plea In Fox News Leak Case Shows Why Espionage Act Prosecutions Are Inherently Unfair to Sources | This is also why if Edward Snowden came back to the US he quite literally cannot receive a fair trial: he would be legally barred from making his case in court.

NSA is collecting less than 30 percent of U.S. call data, officials | "The government is taking steps to restore the collection...closer to previous levels" and the NSA "is preparing to seek court orders to compel wireless companies that currently do not hand over records to the government to do so"

CIA confirms agency obliged to follow federal surveillance law | Law concerns financial information and government hacking; Motive for question at Senate committee not known

Obama administration starts to implement changes to NSA phone records program

Thursday 6 February 2013

Diplomats cooperate with the NSA spying | U.S. diplomats and other officials deliver important information to the NSA's digital espionage. Expert warns against disclosing personal data to U.S. diplomacy (Google Translate)

Get ready: the day we fight back against mass surveillance is coming | Lawmakers must understand that we will no longer tolerate a surveillance state. An online protest on 11 February is a first step - Dan Gillmor

FISC Approves Phone Metadata Collection Changes

Exclusive: Despite escalating government intimidation, Greenwald will “force the issue” and visit U.S. | Months after the first insinuations that he risks arrest if he visits the US, Greenwald is more concerned than ever

Wednesday 5 February 2014

Wozniak criticizes cloud dependence in light of NSA | Apple's outspoken co-founder cuts to the chase on tech firms' cloud reliance: systems just aren't safe from spying eyes.

The Netherlands, not USA, gathered info from 1.8 million phone calls | 'The details were collected in the interest of counter-terrorism activities and military operations abroad,’ the briefing stated. The information was then ‘correctly shared with the US’.

Tuesday 4 February 2013

Arizona Lawmaker Wants To Ban State Agencies From Helping NSA Collect Phone, Internet ‘Metadata’

GCSB deleted key evidence - Dotcom | The spy agency which illegally monitored Kim Dotcom's communications has admitted deleting information needed in the upcoming $6 million damages hearing, according to the tycoon.

NSA tapped German ex-chancellor Gerhard Schröder's phone – report | German media say Angela Merkel's predecessor was put under surveillance after opposition to military action in Iraq in 2002

Senior US congressman Mike Rogers: Glenn Greenwald is 'a thief' | Rogers accused journalist of illegally selling NSA documents; Congressman is chairman of the House intelligence committee; Greenwald denounces Rogers for 'fabrications and lies'

Lawmakers on Tuesday bluntly warned the Obama administration it will lose its sweeping surveillance powers if major changes aren’t made at the National Security Agency (NSA).

Guardian reveals threats of imprisonment and closure over Snowden leaks: "The British government threatened to jail Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger and close the newspaper last July, over the newspaper’s reporting of the Edward Snowden revelations"

FBI Director Comey discusses legality of reporters, stolen Snowden documents

The Harper Government Insists it’s Legal to Collect Metadata

House committee urges US government to get behind NSA reform bill | Judiciary committee warns Obama administration to back USA Freedom Act or risk losing its counter-terrorism powers

Monday 3 February 2013

CSEC Surveillance Analysis of IP and User Data - Bruce Schneier

Intelligence agencies should be subject to FoI, says information commissioner | John McMillan says FoI Act ‘can suitably apply to any agencies, parliamentary departments and the intelligence agencies’

Hacker Group Accuses Merkel Government of Helping to Spy

Microsoft, Facebook, Google and Yahoo release US surveillance requests | Tech giants turn over data from tens of thousands of accounts; Limited disclosure part of transparency deal made last month

Sunday 2 February 2014

David Miranda's detention: a chilling attack on journalism | When the partner of journalist Glenn Greenwald was detained at Heathrow airport last August under the Terrorism Act, MI5 were pulling the strings and knew full well that he wasn't a terrorist
Saturday 1 February 2014

NSA and GCHQ spoofed LinkedIn to hack Belgian cryptography professor

Brazil continues to ignore Snowden asylum appeal | Over a million people have signed an online petition to grant asylum to former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in Brazil. However, experts doubt that the country will give in to this demand.

Lawyers for Lavabit founder: judges may dismiss civil liberties concerns | Ladar Levison challenges contempt of court order; Secure email service was used by NSA leaker Snowden

JANUARY
Friday 31 January 2014

How Edward Snowden went from loyal NSA contractor to whistleblower | He was politically conservative, a gun owner, a geek – and the man behind the biggest intelligence leak in history. In this extract from his new book, Luke Harding looks at Snowden's journey from patriot to America's most wanted

NY Times' Jill Abramson: Obama Crackdown Has Created 'Freeze' On Reporting | NY Times editor Abramson once again condemned the Obama administration's crackdown on leaks, saying that the government's treatment of Edward Snowden has scared potential sources and created a "real freeze" on reporting.

The day GCHQ came to call on the Guardian | In this exclusive extract from his book on Edward Snowden, Luke Harding gives the inside take on what happened when British agents ordered the destruction of Guardian computers

Brazil Must Offer Edward Snowden Asylum, Glenn Greenwald Says; Greenwald also praised the way the Brazilian government has dealt with the U.S. following allegations of espionage.

Canadian Gov't Responds To Spying Revelations By Saying It's All A Lie And Calling Glenn Greenwald A 'Porn Spy'

Obama admits intelligence chief fault over false Senate testimony | President continues to defend James Clapper in the face of calls for his resignation after 'untruthful' statement about bulk collection

Cameron unhappy newspapers still printing Snowden data leaks

Footage released of Guardian editors destroying Snowden hard drives | GCHQ technicians watched as journalists took angle grinders and drills to computers after weeks of tense negotiations

Greens nominate Edward Snowden for Nobel Peace Prize

CSEC Snowden docs: MPs grill defence minister on spying revelation | Tories say independent report shows CSEC obeys law as NDP, Liberals call tracking, spying illegal

Thursday 30 January 2014

CSEC used airport Wi-Fi to track Canadian travellers: Edward Snowden documents | Electronic snooping was part of a trial run for U.S. NSA and other foreign services

After NSA Backdoors, Security Experts Leave RSA for a Conference They Can Trust

Cameron says he failed to make case for mass surveillance after Snowden leaks | Files from analyst showed need to update communication laws, says PM, also claiming civil liberties must be held 'in proportion'

Vice-admiral Michael Rogers to take command of embattled NSA | Rogers is currently commander of navy Fleet Cyber Command; Richard Ledgett will become the NSA's new deputy director; New leaders to face ongoing fallout from Snowden disclosures

How the NSA, GCHQ and crooks can hack mobile apps

Snowden Docs: U.S. Spied on Negotiators At 2009 Climate Summit

Mark Textor describes ABC partnership with Guardian Australia as a ‘blow job’ | Liberal strategist issues payback warning over spy story as debate widens over the national broadcaster’s coverage

David Cameron to face questions on security strategy | PM to be grilled by MPs and peers on UK's relationship with the US following revelations by whistleblower Edward Snowden

ABC may lose Australia Network | Growing signs that Abbott government will strip the ABC of international broadcasting as a concession to conservative critics; Abbott also reaffirmed his concerns about the ABC's collaboration with Guardian Australia on the story based on Snowden documents

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Drake: 'There was no protection against reprisal' | Former NSA senior executive Thomas Drake blew the whistle on a failed surveillance program called Trailblazer. He tells DW that the US whistleblower laws failed to protect him from retaliation within the NSA.

Why Silicon Valley's NSA deal helps them, but not you

Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel peace prize | Two Norwegian politicians say NSA whistleblower's actions have led to a 'more stable and peaceful world order'

James Clapper calls for Snowden and 'accomplices' to return NSA documents | Director of national intelligence condemns NSA whistleblower in blistering testimony to Senate intelligence committee 29 January 2014

Angela Merkel warns US over surveillance in first speech of third term | 'A programme in which the end justifies all means … violates trust,' German chancellor says

AT&T CEO: met European officials, NSA affair affecting business

Tuesday 28 January 2014

US whistleblower laws offer no protection | The White House says that Edward Snowden should have reported his concerns within the NSA, instead of revealing surveillance programs to the press. But who exactly do US whistleblower laws protect?

US looks at ways to prevent spying – on NSA spying. Gov't searches will be shielded by secret coding that would conceal identifying details from outsiders, even owners of the targeted databases.

The NSA's Shadow Database

Here’s why tech companies’ NSA ‘transparency reports’ are mostly a PR stunt

NSA-GCHQ Snowden leaks: A glossary of the key terms

Rand Paul: ‘We will go’ to the Supreme Court on NSA surveillance

Angry Birds firm calls for industry to respond to NSA spying revelations | Rovio rethinks relationship with ad platforms; CEO tells users it was not complicit in surveillance; 'We do not collaborate or share data with spy agencies'

Huge swath of GCHQ mass surveillance is illegal, says top lawyer | Legal advice given to MPs warns that British spy agency is 'using gaps in regulation to commit serious crime with impunity'

Microsoft rules out ‘back door’ access to MPs’ electronic communications | Officials assured that US agencies do not have unauthorised entry to Australian parliamentary IT operating systems

Monday 27 January 2014

Lawmakers demand Obama dump Clapper

NSA & GCHQ probe Angry Birds and other games, smartphone Apps - especially “leaky apps” - to uncover your gender, orientation, income, even if you are a “swinger”.

Tech giants reach White House deal on NSA surveillance of customer data | Deal ends months of wrangling before secret Fisa court; Companies can disclose more information on data turned over

After Snowden: How vulnerable is the internet? | The internet was designed to be free and open. Eight months after Edward Snowden's first leaks of classified information, is that still the case?

Snowden asks 'how reasonable' it is to assume only Merkel was tapped | Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has told German public television what motivated him to go public, has asked whether NSA tapping stopped at Chancellor Merkel's phone, and has said his return to the US is unlikely.

Sunday 26 January 2014

Snowden interview | Edward Snowden spoke to NDR journalist Seipel in Moscow

Wanted dead by US officials, Snowden tells German TV | Fugitive former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has claimed that US government officials "want to kill me" in an exclusive interview which German television says it conducted in Moscow.

"There is no question that the US is engaged in economic spying" - Snowden | German public broadcaster ARD will air a half-hour interview with NSA contractor turned whistleblower Edward Snowden on Sunday. The first snippet, aired late Saturday, accuses the NSA of conducting industrial espionage.

Edward Snowden adviser: guarantee of amnesty necessary for talks with US | Jesselyn Radack responds to Eric Holder comments; Legal adviser insists better protections needed

Obama's NSA blind spot | The president has no right to sit on the sidelines waiting for the Supreme Court to tell him what the Constitution means. - Bruce Ackerman

Saturday 25 January 2014

Democrat Dianne Feinstein proves an obstacle to Obama’s push for changes at spy agencies
Friday 24 January 2014

Some of the biggest names in cryptography condemn NSA spying in open letter

Told Ya So: NSA's Collection Of Metadata Is Screamingly Illegal - coauthored by Christopher Sprigman.

NSA domestic surveillance condemned in Republican party resolution | Republican National Committee members call for special panel to investigate extent of bulk data collection on Americans

Thursday 23 January 2014

Obama disagrees with watchdog group’s conclusion that NSA phone program is illegal

Edward Snowden: 'No chance' of a fair US trial | Former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden has said he has "no chance" of a fair trial in the US and has no plans to return there.

Government privacy board members say shifting NSA data to third parties is a bad idea

Q&A with Edward Snowden - all answers

US hints at Edward Snowden plea bargain to allow return from Russia | Attorney general prepared to 'engage in conversation' with NSA whistleblower but says full clemency is 'going too far'

We want Edward Snowden as our rector because he stands for democracy | By nominating the NSA whistleblower, Glasgow University students are voicing our opposition to state surveillance

'This overreach is unacceptable': the case against NSA bulk collection | A growing set of people and organizations have spoken out calling for an end to the spy program. Here's what they said

NSA Spying Sends Data to Canada

US privacy board dissenters defend balancing act of NSA surveillance | Two who cautiously embraced NSA programs in privacy board review make a case the intelligence community should have

The U.S. Crackdown on Hackers Is Our New War on Drugs

Snowden calls for whistleblower protection in Q&A Snowden says it's time to push back on surveillance>>

Justify GCHQ mass surveillance, European court tells ministers | Judges order government to provide submission about whether spying activities violated European convention on human rights

Snowden denies stealing passwords to access secret files

Watchdog Report Says N.S.A. Program Is Illegal and Should End

U.S. Brings Fraud Charges Against Firm That Vetted Edward Snowden

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says intelligence gathering with US is vital, accuses Edward Snowden of treachery

PCLOB: report on NSA bulk collection under the Patriot Act – full text | The Obama administration's privacy board has issued a report concluding NSA collection of every US phone record on a daily basis violates the legal rights of Americans and recommends the surveillance program be shut down

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Independent commission to investigate future of internet after NSA revelations. Two-year inquiry headed by Swedish foreign minister - set up by Chatham House and CIGI think tanks - is announced at Davos.

Half of Americans heard ‘nothing at all’ about the president’s NSA speech

Mobile phone networks challenge government over text message trawling | EE, O2, Vodafone and Three demand answers on how spies can allegedly get around UK laws using NSA's Dishfire program

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Snowden Calls Russian-Spy Story “Absurd”

Google's Eric Schmidt denies knowledge of NSA data tapping of firm | Executive chairman says search company has 'complained at great length' to the US government over intrusion

US withholding Fisa court orders on NSA bulk collection of Americans' data | Justice Department refuses to turn over 'certain other' documents in ACLU lawsuit meant to shed light on surveillance practices

Human Rights Watch annual report 2014 criticises NSA mass surveillance | States with poor human rights records may use spying scandal as excuse to clamp down on internet freedom, report warns

US surveillance imperils global free expression, rights group says | Human Rights Watch warns of Balkanization of the Internet that could result from invasive NSA data collection

Edward Snowden in running to be Glasgow University Rector

Monday 20 January 2014

Poll: Most Americans now oppose the NSA program

'The USA knows that for us spying is a crime' | German reaction to President Barack Obama’s much-anticipated speech on Friday on the future of NSA spying has veered from skepticism to veiled threats with politicians suggesting legal action is a possibility.

Why the NSA’s Spying on Offline Computers Is Less Scary Than Mass Surveillance

Who should we fear more with our data: the government or companies? | The masters of modern spycraft have learned the science of predicting human behavior from the masters of marketing

German Interior Minister de Maiziére warns over NSA 'fixation' | German Interior Minister de Maiziére has welcomed changes announced by the US to the way it conducts online surveillance. However, he said the task of keeping the Internet free of prying eyes was far bigger.

Sunday 19 January 2014

Spying revelations: Tory MP Dominic Raab attacks UK's 'comatose' reaction | British government 'must follow Barack Obama's lead and introduce sweeping reforms to government spy agencies'
Saturday 18 January 2014

NSA critics in Congress sense reform momentum after Obama speech | Three new co-sponsors for USA Freedom Act; Sensenbrenner: 'Reform cannot be done by presidential fiat'
Friday 17 January 2014

Obama's NSA reforms prompt little reaction from Canada's spy agency

German National Television (ZDF) interviews Obama about NSA (16 minutes)

Obama’s restrictions on NSA surveillance rely on narrow definition of ‘spying’

Rating Obama’s NSA Reform Plan: EFF Scorecard Explained

Obama's NSA 'reforms' are little more than a PR attempt to mollify the public | Obama is draping the banner of change over the NSA status quo. Bulk surveillance that caused such outrage will remain in place - Green Greenwald

Assange blasts Obama's NSA speech

Tech firms say Obama’s proposals fall short of expectations

Obama acknowledges Edward Snowden disclosures in NSA reform speech | President criticises 'unauthorised disclosures' from Snowden; Admits debate on national security 'will make us stronger'

Obama NSA reforms receive mixed response in Europe and Brazil | EU commissioner says speech is a step in right direction, but German ex-minister says changes fail to tackle root problem

Obama to overhaul NSA's bulk storage of Americans' telephone data | President to announce that private entity will store call data; Move does not end US bulk collection program; Speech will outline changes taken from NSA review panel

Alan Rusbridger: Westminster is hoping Snowden revelations go away | Guardian editor accuses UK politicians of failing to tackle issues raised by NSA revelations, which have sparked US debate

Obama presents NSA reforms with plan to end government storage of call data | President stops short of ending controversial bulk collection; Obama assures allied foreign leaders on NSA surveillance; Reforms also include added Fisa court safeguards

Obama's NSA reforms should include restraints on spying on foreigners | Obama should make clear that spying on foreigners is not without limit. Privacy shouldn't be limited just to Americans - Timothy Edgar

NSA surveillance: American debate, British denial | Barack Obama's speech on NSA reform has paved the way for a proper evaluation of security and privacy. The UK must do the same - The Guardian Editorial

Obama's NSA speech: an affirmation that mass surveillance has a future | The president's rhetoric pursued balance but his speech suggests an NSA victory in its fight against restrictions

US spy leaks: How intelligence is gathered | Documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden suggest the US government has undertaken mass surveillance operations across the globe - including eavesdropping on US allies. According to the leaks, what are the key methods the spy agency uses?

How Obama took on six major areas of concern about NSA surveillance | Which recommendations – from his review panel, privacy groups and others – the president embraced, delegated or ignored

Barack Obama's surveillance pledge contrasts with silence of UK ministers | President accepts overhaul is needed in US intelligence while UK government remains closed to real privacy debate

Thursday 16 January 2014

NSA surveillance: privacy board denies being sidelined by Obama | President to deliver key speech on surveillance before PCLOB watchdog officially hands down its findings

NSA collects millions of text messages daily in 'untargeted' global sweep | NSA extracts location, contacts and financial transactions; 'Dishfire' program sweeps up 'pretty much everything it can'; GCHQ using database to search metadata from UK numbers

NSA: Six out of 10 Americans want reform of data collection, says poll | Fears grow Obama will allow NSA to keep bulk databases as survey finds majority in favour of change

Martha Lane Fox: UK is 'woefully quiet' on Snowden revelations | The Baroness of Soho said in her debut House of Lords speech that the UK lacked the rigorous debate that took place in the US

Security Expert Bruce Schneier Says to Foil NSA Spies, Encrypt Everything

Wednesday 15 January 2014

NSA reform measures quietly included in $1.1tn spending bill | Compromise spending package contains provisions asking the NSA to quantify the effectiveness of its surveillance program

British press freedom is under international scrutiny – and with good reason | The fact a delegation is visiting the UK over the hostile response to the Guardian's reporting of the Snowden leaks, as well as the royal charter, should sound alarm bells

Tuesday 14 January 2014

[>>>
[X-Post] Daniel Ellsberg AMA on Reddit](http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1vahsi/i_am_pentagon_papers_leaker_daniel_ellsberg/)

N.S.A. Devises Radio Pathway Into Computers

President’s goal for NSA reform — no more Edward Snowdens

Snowden to Join Board of Press Freedom Foundation | Edward J. Snowden is joining the board of a nonprofit organization co-founded by Daniel Ellsberg, the well-known leaker of the Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War.

NSA review panel casts doubt on bulk data collection claims | Panel members said phone data had limited role preventing terrorism in testimony before Senate judiciary committee

Mozilla Calls On World To Protect Firefox Browser From the NSA

With NSA review 'near completion,' German media hold little hope of 'no spy' deal | The White House has said that its review of NSA spying in the aftermath of Edward Snowden's revelations is "near completion," but reports in Germany suggest several of Berlin's demands are already off the table.

US continues to attempt to “get” Edward Snowden – Jesselyn Radack

Monday 13 January 2014

Tech firms: We don’t want to keep Internet metadata for the government | The companies told the administration that they are concerned about reassuring overseas customers that they can protect their privacy.

How do you get politicians to care about privacy? | Film maker Cullen Hoback explains how he has used his anti-surveillance documentary - and two NSA whistleblowers - to push for policy reform in Washington

Do NSA's Bulk Surveillance Programs Stop Terrorism? | New American Foundation

Sunday 12 January 2014

An analysis of 225 terrorism cases inside the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has concluded that the bulk collection of phone records by the National Security Agency “has had no discernible impact on preventing acts of terrorism.”

Spy agencies’ attorney has fiercely defended surveillance programs revealed by Snowden

John McCain seeks congressional investigation into 'broken' NSA | 'There has been overreach' says Republican senator; Obama to announce surveillance proposals on Friday

Friday 10 January 2014

Stephen Colbert urged to cancel speech for NSA-linked privacy firm RSA | Privacy rights groups are calling on comedian Stephen Colbert to cancel his guest speaker appearance at a conference organised by RSA, the security firm accused of accepting millions from the NSA to weaken encryption software.

Privacy oversight board briefed Obama on NSA surveillance reform | Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board met president; Obama to announce results of NSA review next Friday

ACLU: 'NSA reforms should apply worldwide' | US President Barack Obama will soon announce plans for reforming the NSA spy agency. American Civil Liberties Union National Security Fellow, Brett Kaufmann, told DW that he fears the reforms may not go far enough.

NSA makes final push to retain most mass surveillance powers | Deputy director: bulk data collection is an 'insurance policy'; President Obama set to announce future scope of operations

On Anniversary of Aaron Swartz's Tragic Passing, Leading Internet Groups and Online Platforms Announce Day of Activism Against NSA Surveillance | Participants including Access, Demand Progress, the EFF, Fight for the Future, Free Press, BoingBoing, Reddit, Mozilla, ThoughtWorks, and more to come

Thursday 9 January 2014

EU report reveals massive scope of secret NSA surveillance | The European Parliament has wrapped up its inquiry into mass surveillance. In a draft report, politicians are being hard on all sides - the US government, the NSA, but also on hesitant EU governments and companies.

​US govt attempts to block lawsuit against NSA

500 Years of History Shows that Mass Spying Is Always Aimed at Crushing Dissent

Snowden downloaded 1.7 million intelligence files, Pentagon report concludes

NSA and GCHQ activities appear illegal, says EU parliamentary inquiry | Civil liberties committee report demands end to indiscriminate collection of personal data by British and US agencies

Liberal Democrats: digital drumbeat; Two senior Liberal Democrats call for judicial oversight of state surveillance and regular releases of statistics on UK security service data requests | The Guardian Editioral

White House meets with privacy advocates to discuss NSA surveillance | Talks follow President Obama's meetings with security chiefs; Advocates fear stalled debate ahead of anticipated reforms

Tiny Constables and the Cost of Surveillance: Making Cents Out of United States v. Jones | Kevin S. Bankston and Ashkan Soltani

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Sen. Dianne Feinstein Admits That Her 'NSA Reform' Bill Is About Protecting Existing Surveillance Programs

Obama invites Merkel to Washington after NSA surveillance row | US President Barack Obama has invited German Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit Washington, apparently to repair ties strained by US surveillance of her mobile phone. An exact date has not been announced.

Former NSA whistleblowers plead for chance to brief Obama on agency abuses

Obama nears decision on NSA reforms as spy leaders meet at White House | Decision on surveillance expected before state of the union; Congressional leaders to join as president mulls NSA review

Tuesday 7 January 2014

California Legislators Introduce Bill To Banish NSA

US senators propose bill to shut off NSA’s water supply in California

NSA considers shifting database of domestic phone logs to third parties

At least six security experts boycott prominent security conference over NSA ties | security researchers have withdrawn from a major security conference in a protest against the conference's sponsor, computer security firm RSA.

More Israel disclosures in Snowden’s trove of 'significant stories' – Greenwald

Monday 6 January 2014

France-UAE satellite deal shaky after US spy tech discovered onboard

How the NSA Threatens National Security | Our choice isn't between a digital world where the agency can eavesdrop and one where it cannot; our choice is between a digital world that is vulnerable to any attacker and one that is secure for all users. - Bruce Schneier

Saturday 4 January 2014

NSA statement does not deny 'spying' on members of Congress | Agency responds to questions from Senator Bernie Sanders; Statement cites 'same privacy protections as all US persons'

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul to file class action suit against the NSA

Clapper did not lie to Congress on NSA, says national intelligence counsel | Robert Litt writes to New York Times to deny allegation; Says 'inaccurate' testimony could not be corrected publicly

Friday 3 January 2014

Germany eyes parliamentary inquiry into NSA activities

Senator presses NSA to reveal whether it spies on members of Congress | Vermont's Bernie Sanders poses question to spy agency; NSA entering political minefield as it fights to keep programs

Ruling against NSA collection of phone data is appealed

Glenn Greenwald says the reaction to the Snowden leaks has been 'wildly better' than he expected

CSE admits it 'incidentally' spied on Canadians

Thursday 2 January 2014

ACLU will appeal ruling that NSA bulk phone record collection is legal | Appeal is against verdict by New York federal judge; Federal appeals courts drawn into controversy

NSA seeks to build quantum computer that could crack most types of encryption

Julian Assange rails against surveillance in Thought for the Day | BBC Radio 4's Today programme has WikiLeaks founder in religious slot, as chosen by guest editor – musician PJ Harvey

Wednesday 1 January 2014

The Guardian editioral: Snowden affair: the case for a pardon | Snowden gave classified information to journalists, even though he knew the likely consequences. That was an act of courage

Not Socially Acceptable: NSA boss video ‘most hated’ on YouTube in 2013?

DECEMBER
Tuesday 31 December 2013

This Clip Of Former NSA Boss Michael Hayden Calling Snowden A Traitor Is Brought To You By Microsoft

Apple insists it did not work with NSA to create iPhone backdoor program; Tech giant denies knowledge of DropoutJeep tool to retrieve information and insists it 'cares deeply about customers' privacy'

Monday 30 December 2013

Jacob Appelbaum's speech on NSA and the militarization of the internet at CCC Conference, December 2013

QFire - injecting data into TCP connections via pre-placed network implants

NSA program "Quantum Theory": How the U.S. intelligence cracking computers worldwide (Google Translate)

Glenn Greenwald: The NSA Can "Literally Watch Every Keystroke You Make" | American Civil Liberties Union Deputy Legal Director Jameel Jaffer and journalist Glenn Greenwald join us to discuss the latest revelations, along with the future of Edward Snowden.

Orange to take legal action after report of spying via its cable | Orange (ORAN.PA) is preparing its legal response to a report alleging the U.S. National Security Agency accessed customers' data transmitted by a submarine cable partly used by the French telecoms operator.

The NSA's elite hackers can hijack your Wi-Fi from 8 miles away | Alongside pre-packaged exploits that allowed control over iOS devices and any phone communicating through GSM, Appelbaum detailed a device that targets computers through packet injection, seeding exploits from up to 8 miles away.

Interactive Graphic: The NSA's Spy Catalog

NSA's Secret Toolbox: Unit Offers Spy Gadgets for Every Need | The NSA has a secret unit that produces special equipment ranging from spyware for computers and cell phones to listening posts and USB sticks that work as bugging devices.

Ex-NSA chief calls for Obama to reject recommendations

Snowden documents: Norway is NSA's dream partner | Norwegian intelligence is an increasingly important part of U.S. global monitoring network. It appears from a top-secret document about "flawlessly" cooperation between Norwegian Intelligence Service and the NSA (Google Translate)

Sunday 29 December 2013

Shopping for Spy Gear: Catalog Advertises NSA Toolbox | After years of speculation that electronics can be accessed by intelligence agencies through a back door, an internal NSA catalog reveals that such methods already exist for numerous end-user devices.

Inside TAO: Documents Reveal Top NSA Hacking Unit | TAO unit is considered to be the NSA's top secret weapon. It maintains its own covert network, infiltrates computers around the world and even intercepts shipping deliveries to plant back doors in electronics ordered by those it is targeting.

Saturday 28 December 2013

John Naughton: Here's how data thieves have captured our lives on the internet | It's not just governments. Companies such as Google and Facebook spy on us too. We have clicked through to their 'free' digital services at the cost of sacrificing our privacy. So how do we get out?
Friday 27 December 2013

Glenn Greenwald: ‘A Lot’ More NSA Documents to Come

Glenn Greenwald calls for Snowden asylum at Chaos Computer Club congress | Journalist and Edward Snowden associate Greenwald has told a major annual gathering of computer activists in Hamburg to continue fighting for online privacy, saying he did not expect meaningful political reforms.

NSA mass collection of phone data is legal, federal judge rules | Judge William Pauley noted the dragnet program was 'controversial but lawful' and dismissed lawsuit brought by ACLU

Thursday 26 December 2013

Internet privacy as important as human rights, says UN's Navi Pillay | Navi Pillay compares uproar over mass surveillance to response that helped defeat apartheid during Today programme
Wednesday 25 December 2013

Greenwald warns Norway about Swedish surveillance | The American journalist, who is behind the NSA leaks by whistleblower Edward Snowden, warns Norwegian government and oil companies from sending sensitive information through Sweden. (Google Translate)

Bletchley Park accused of airbrushing Edward Snowden from history | NSA whistleblower omitted from new exhibition on cyber security as museum says it does not want to be seen to back his actions

A Christmas Message From Edward Snowden

Tuesday 24 December 2013

Edward Snowden to broadcast Channel 4's alternative Christmas Day message | NSA whistleblower records message from Russia, filmed by Laura Poitras, warning of the dangers of a loss of privacy

Edward Snowden declares ‘mission accomplished’ in Moscow interview. NSA whistleblower said he had no relationship with the Russian government, likening his life in Moscow to that of a house cat.

Monday 23 December 2013

Stanford Security Lab. Project MetaPhone: The NSA’s Got Your Number | "... how easy is it to identify a phone number? Trivial, we found."

Obama can’t point to a single time the NSA call records program prevented a terrorist attack

Edward Snowden, after months of NSA revelations, says his mission’s accomplished

Security company RSA denies knowingly installing NSA 'back door' | Denial follows allegations that pioneering company made NSA algorithm its default in return for payment

Sunday 22 December 2013

Snowden Criticizes U.S. Panel Overseeing Surveillance

The NSA is trying to have it both ways on its domestic spying programs

NSA review panel members to appear before Senate committee in January | 'Momentum is building for real reform,' Sen. Leahy said; Hearing will address 46 recommendations made by panel

Israeli ministers demand end to US spying, but Netanyahu lets revelations 'pass quietly'

NSA Review Group Member Recommends Increased Data Collection | Morell, Former CIA chief, says controversial "bulk" collection of data should be expanded to include email, and could prevent the next 9/11.

Saturday 21 December 2013

Germany should ban U.S. contracting companies passing data to NSA: report

Snowden ally Appelbaum claims his Berlin apartment was invaded | US Internet activist and one of the people with access to Edward Snowden's documents, has told his apartment was broken into, he suspected US involvement.

US National intelligence chief declassifies Bush-era documents on NSA programs | James Clapper documents relate to bulk collection origins; Disclosures part of campaign to justify NSA surveillance

Israel plays down importance of alleged spying by U.S. and UK

Covert US action in Colombia | U.S. intelligence, GPS bomb kits help Latin American nation cripple rebel forces; The secret assistance also includes substantial eavesdropping help from the NSA

Washington Post Poll: The US public worries about surveillance . . . but few take steps to protect their privacy.

Washington Post Poll: The US public worries about surveillance . . . but few take steps to protect their privacy.

U.S. reasserts need to keep domestic surveillance secret

Friday 20 December 2013

Obama: Snowden leaks caused 'unnecessary damage' | Obama said he could not comment specifically on possible amnesty because Snowden was 'under indictment'

$10m NSA contract with security firm RSA led to encryption 'back door' | Flawed formula enabled agency to crack into products; RSC and NSA decline to comment

Critics: NSA agent co-chairing key crypto standards body should be removed | There's an elephant in the room at the Internet Engineering Task Force.

Latest Snowden revelations spark anger at European commission | Officials say disclosures about targeting of Joaquín Almunia was 'not the type of behaviour that we expect from strategic partners'

Obama concedes NSA bulk collection of phone data may be unnecessary | President: 'There may be a better way of skinning the cat'; 'Potential abuse' of collected data cited as concern

GCHQ and NSA targeted charities, Germans, Israeli PM and EU chief | Unicef, Médecins du Monde and African heads of state were on list of surveillance targets, documents show

Norway data helps target US drones: spy chief | Data collected by Norway's intelligence services is used by US and Nato forces to target controversial drone attacks, head of the NIS has revealed

Covert US action in Colombia | U.S. intelligence, GPS bomb kits help Latin American nation cripple rebel forces; The secret assistance also includes substantial eavesdropping help from the NSA

NSA Surveillance Programme: 'It's Going To Get Worse'

Thursday 19 December 2013

White House NSA Panel Member: Edward Snowden's Leaks Still ‘Treasonous’

Eyes everywhere: NSA's second tier spying partners identified | The "third party partners" to the Five Eyes has now grown to include nine states - Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain

Verizon to publish reports on government requests for customer data

Pierre Omidyar plunges first $50m into new media venture - First Look Media - with Greenwald, Poitras & Scahill. New journalists added: Dan Froomkin & Liliana Segura.

NSA’s broken Dual_EC random number generator has a “fatal bug” in OpenSSL | No plans to fix a bug in "toxic" algorithm that no one seems to use.

The National Security Agency’s oversharing problem | Ars talks to an ex-NSA pro who filed unlawful sharing complaints—only to be shunned.

Snowden leak confirms Denmark spying deal with US | Leaked document from NSA lists Denmark as one of nine European countries that collaborates with the '5-Eyes'

Finland intends to build a new data transmission cable through Germany to prevent Sweden from intercepting data and passing it on to NSA

Officials’ defenses of NSA phone program may be unraveling

Report Suggests NSA Engaged In Financial Manipulation, Changing Money In Bank Accounts

Republicans demand consequences for 'willful lie' by intelligence chief

Google reveals transparency report: sharp rise in requests for removal of political content. Turkey w/ most requests; US asked search giant to remove almost 4,000 items.

Congressional NSA critics: review panel report gives 'momentum' for reform | Though critics concerned that panel did not adequately address how long telecoms ought to hold NSA’s desired call data

Alan Rusbridger: Obama's NSA review gives the lie to Britain's timid platitudes: a debate is possible | In the US, the official response to Snowden's revelations celebrates journalism and calls for real change. In Britain, the picture has been rather different

White House report on NSA 'has not changed David Cameron's view' | PM's spokesman refuses to comment on review commissioned by Barack Obama that calls for big changes to surveillance

Russia has never worked with Edward Snowden, says Putin | Russian president says he was 'jealous' of scale of NSA surveillance programmes, but insists Snowden never questioned about activities

NSA's goal is elimination of individual privacy worldwide - Greenwald to EU

U.N. votes to protect online privacy; Edward Snowden leaks credited

Wednesday 18 December 2013

'Pardon Snowden,' Zynga founder Mark Pincus tells Obama, report says

NSA reform panel: Foreigners actually have privacy rights, too!

NSA review panel findings. Recommends dozens of new restrictions on surveillance, to strip NSA of power to collect phone data.

Ex-CIA Director Calls For Snowden To Be “Hanged By His Neck Until He Is Dead”

Strip NSA of power to collect phone data records, Obama review panel says

Glenn Greenwald: 'Definitely More' Reports Based on Edward Snowden's Documents Coming

Greenwald: UK poses 'primary threat' to EU citizens' privacy

'NSA ruined it!' Brazil ditches Boeing jets, grants $4.5 bln contract to Saab

Pincus: Snowden still holding ‘keys to the kingdom’ | We’ve yet to see the full impact of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden’s unauthorized downloading of highly classified intelligence documents.

NSA shouldn’t keep phone database, review board recommends

White House gravitates to healthcare woes in face of NSA backlash | Obama administration picks web glitches over web spying as White House finds itself caught between two unsavoury topics

The inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee leads call for more transparency over mass surveillance | Open letter claims UK and US governments are contradicting accountability pledge of Open Government Partnership

The NSA’s PR team finally gets its own Twitter account

Tuesday 17 December 2013

UK Government Is Working In A Snowden-Free Bubble

Wall Street Journal Calls Snowden A Sociopath; Argues For Even Less NSA Oversight

Tech firms push back against White House efforts to divert NSA meeting: Administration said meeting's focus is on healthcare website; Not so fast, tech CEOs reply, 'We're here to talk about the NSA'.

Merkel compared NSA to Stasi in heated encounter with Obama | German chancellor furious after revelations US intelligence agency listend in on her personal mobile phone

Snowden claims NSA surveillance ‘collapsing’

Edward Snowden: An Open Letter to the People of Brazil | "If Brazil hears only one thing from me, let it be this: when all of us band together against injustices and in defense of privacy and basic human rights, we can defend ourselves from even the most powerful systems."

Edward Snowden doesn’t show up once in Google’s list of top 2013 searches

Lawyer who won ruling against NSA claims the government has been harassing him

CNN Deletes Tweet Claiming New Edward Snowden Offer to ‘Spy’ on USA | Greenwald: ‘Dear CNN: Even for You, This Is Remarkably Reckless’

Tech firms meet Obama to press their case for NSA surveillance reform | A delegation of 15 from Silicon Valley, including Tim Cook and Marissa Mayer, visit White House for face-to-face talks

Snowden offers to help Brazil over US spying in return for asylum

Tech companies call for 'aggressive' NSA reforms at White House meeting

Larry Klayman: I challenged the NSA in court because it's a totalitarian attack on human rights

Norway´s secret surveillance of Russian politics for the NSA | The Norwegian Intelligence Service conducts surveillance of politicians, energy policy and other civilian «targets» in Russia - and provides this information for the USA

Norwegian Intelligence Service-chief: - Necessary to «closely monitor» Russia

Larry Klayman: the Tea Party 'gadfly' who took on the NSA

Dianne Feinstein: NSA phone surveillance 'important' but not 'indispensable'

Score One for the Legal Thorn in Government’s Side | Larry Klayman, Plaintiff in N.S.A. Case, Savors Victory

'Royal Concierge': GCHQ Monitors Diplomats' Hotel Bookings | Britain's GCHQ intelligence service monitors diplomats' travels using a sophisticated automated system that tracks hotel bookings. Once a room has been identified, it opens the door to a variety of spying options.

Monday 16 December 2013

A federal judge ruled Monday that the National Security Agency program which collects information on nearly all telephone calls made to, from or within the United States is likely unconstitutional

An NSA Coworker Remembers The Real Edward Snowden: 'A Genius Among Geniuses'

60 Minutes Gift Wrapped a Puff Piece for the NSA | Last episode of 60 Minutes on CBS included what basically amounted to an uncritical commercial for the embattled NSA, led by a journalist who used to be a government colleague

Edward Snowden says judge's ruling vindicates NSA surveillance disclosures

President Obama's NSA review group is typical administration whitewash | Notice how the White House moved quickly to thwart the only substantive NSA changes the review group was making

Greenwald: Denmark "submissive" to the US | Country played a much larger role in US surveillance than previously thought

Greenwald: Snowden revelations show that in the years since 9/11, the US is not safer

Report accuses British telecommunications services company BT of supplying backdoors for GCHQ and NSA

White House: No amnesty for Snowden

MPs grill Theresa May over spy chiefs' 'melodramatic soundbites' on NSA files | Home affairs committee asks home secretary whether she has been given proof by MI5 and MI6 to support their rhetoric

Attempt to justify tapping 'stupid', says Indonesian presidential spokesman | Jakarta rubbishes Australian report claiming there were 'clear national security reasons' to justify tapping Indonesia's first lady

Sunday 15 December 2013

State-run Chinese newspaper Global Times: No countries have openly credited him as a "hero" so far, but it's not an exaggeration to call him a Global Thinker.

Spying row: Tony Abbott urges Indonesia to forgive and forget | 'People smuggling is a crime in Indonesia, and I do think that Indonesia should resume co-operation with us,' says Australian PM

NSA officials consider Edward Snowden amnesty in return for documents. State Department and other key figures oppose deal.

NSA spying on French officials and businesses

Saturday 14 December 2013

Senior White House official: ‘We still don't know all of what Edward Snowden took,’ the US ‘may never know extent of the NSA leaks.’
Friday 13 December 2013

US Lawmakers overseeing NSA receive millions from private intelligence contractors

NSA asked Sweden for translation help on their "high-priority" material that involved the Swedish language

Report: NSA mulls Snowden amnesty (but it probably won’t happen)

By cracking cellphone code, NSA has capacity for decoding private conversations

NSA deputy director John Inglis to retire at end of year | Top civilian had been tipped for top job

NSA review to leave spying programs largely unchanged, reports say. Panel to propose bulk surveillance continuation, some curbs. Adviser on apparent decision to leave core intact: ‘shameful’

Thursday 12 December 2013

Lawsuit accuses IBM of hiding China risks amid NSA spy scandal

Obama Advisers Recommend to Urge NSA Curbs

A New Zealand backpacker stripped of all electronics at Auckland Airport following his attendance at a talk in London about Edward Snowden's leaked documents

Edward Snowden: MEPs vote to invite ex-NSA contractor to testify | Opposition from conservatives fails to derail vote on inviting Snowden to hearing, which could take place as early as January

In democracies, public surveillance must be debated by public - Snowden | Snowden did not attend the Global Thinkers reception held on Wednesday in Washington but, instead, provided a written statement

You, me and Edward Snowden – we've all been let down by the EU | Member states alone cannot combat mass population surveillance, it's up to the EU – but it has been found wanting

Tech Customers More Attentive to Security in the Wake of NSA Leaks

Snowden and Snooping | Former US ambassador Charles W. Freeman Jr. at MIT

Wednesday 11 December 2013

Q&A with Glenn Greenwald | Swedish television program UG's reporters met the journalist Glenn Greenwald to talk about the NSA documents Edward Snowden leaked

EU has failed to defend Edward Snowden, says activist group | Index on Censorship claims European Union has also neglected to protect newspapers writing about mass surveillance

Even if Congress passes the USA Freedom Act, the NSA might continue to collect records on virtually all US phone calls, according to a top Justice Department official

MI5 chief Andrew Parker will not face MPs on Snowden claims | Home secretary rejects calls for spy boss to justify claim that Guardian put national security at risk in publishing NSA files

Former whistleblowers: open letter to intelligence employees after Snowden | Thomas Drake, Daniel Ellsberg, Katharine Gun, Peter Kofod, Ray McGovern, Jesselyn Radack, Coleen Rowley

British intelligence agency GCHQ responded the Swedish television program Uppdrag Granskning’s reporter who asked for a statement on the information contained in the documents leaked by Snowden

Swedish signals intelligence agency FRA hacking computers – top-secret project with the NSA

NSA chief on spying programs: 'There is no other way to connect the dots' | Keith Alexander insists bulk data collection stops terror attacks and says he would be 'failing' America if the practice stopped

Arizona Sen. Kelli Ward announced Monday that she will act to ban the National Security Agency from unconstitutional operations in her state

Arizona Sen. Kelli Ward announced Monday that she will act to ban the National Security Agency from unconstitutional operations in her state

White House to preserve controversial policy on NSA, Cyber Command leadership

Swedish signals intelligence agency FRA is an active participant in the top-secret programme WINTERLIGHT, initiated by the top level of the NSA. The project is about conducting top-secret hacking of computers.

The NSA has granted the Swedish FRA access to one of the most controversial systems in its global mass surveillance. Called Xkeyscore, the system makes it possible to monitor millions of people worldwide.

Tuesday 10 December 2013

NSA uses Google cookies to pinpoint targets for hacking

A former British minister is to demand new laws to make sure Britain's spying agencies can never intercept calls or email data without a specific warrant

New documents show how the NSA infers relationships based on mobile location data

NSA leaks blamed for Cisco’s falling sales overseas

Data-sharing among US law agencies amounts to 'organised chaos'. Lack of oversight and repeated civil liberties violations cited. Agencies 'risk masking reliable counter-terrorism intelligence'.

Writers dub UK leaders 'America's digital pit bull' over surveillance

Microsoft's Satya Nadella: 'The surveillance system has to be reformed' - The man who may be Microsoft's next chief executive says governments must restore trust in technology after NSA revelations

Rep. Sensenbrenner: Feinstein NSA bill ‘a joke’ | The original author of the Patriot Act says the House and Senate Intelligence committees have become “cheerleaders” for the National Security Agency

Monday 9 December 2013

The US government asked wireless carriers for user data 1 million times last year

State surveillance of personal data is theft, say world's leading authors. 500 signatories include five Nobel prize winners. Writers demand 'digital bill of rights' to curb abuses.

Bill Clinton condemns NSA’s reported collection of economic data

Snowden document shows Canada set up spy posts for NSA | CSEC conducted espionage activities for U.S. in 20 countries, according to top-secret briefing note

Snowden docs had NYTimes exec fearing for his life

Australian police to adopt technology capable of collecting emails - Controversial ‘deep packet inspection’ system used by NSA for surveillance to be rolled out by AFP next year

Techies, Uncle Sam wants you for the U.S. Army

NSA seeks a few brave interns: Spy agency recruiting students as young as 15.

Revealed: spy agencies' covert push to infiltrate virtual world of online games

Surveillance debate: we're asking for an end to bulk data collection - Civil society, internet businesses and the international community have stood up and rejected indiscriminating surveillance; It's time for UK parliamentarians to follow suit

NSA surveillance: tech companies demand sweeping changes to US laws. Apple & Google among companies to call for reforms to restore the public's trust in the internet.

Eight tech giants have sided with citizens over spies, but it's not enough | Jeff Jarvis

NSA spying hurts business of large U.S. hardware makers

Esquire Glenn Greenwald interview: What I’ve learned.

Sunday 8 December 2013

Local cellphone data vacuuming: It's not just the NSA, but local police using same no-warrant techniques critics see as overly broad.

NSA "asking for" specific exchanges from Swedish Defence Radio Establishment FRA - Secret treaty since 1954

Edward Snowden to give evidence to EU parliament, says MEP; British Conservatives oppose video appearance by NSA whistleblower, which Green MEP says could happen this year.

The human rights group Amnesty International has announces that it is taking legal action against the UK security services

Saturday 7 December 2013

NSA morale down after Edward Snowden revelations, former U.S. officials say

Western state sponsored espionage for economical reasons contains a large portion of hypocrisy says Glenn Greenwald

The Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment (FRA) is not only spying on foreign military interests; the Baltic region and civilian targets such as the Russian energy sector are also targets of the FRA’s espionage

Friday 6 December 2013

Six months after NSA story broke, Edward Snowden looks even more patriotic: Obama, congressmen & tech companies promise to ‘rein in’ the surveillance, but we should be skeptical.

Skype’s Suspicious Absence From Microsoft’s Anti-NSA Promises

Saving the Net from the surveillance state: Glenn Greenwald speaks up (Q&A)

The National Security Agency uses its authority under a 1981 executive order to collect cellphone location data around the world

FBI’s global search for ‘Mo,’ suspect in bomb threats, highlights use of malware for surveillance. “These teams work much like other hackers.”

Edward Snowden is to give video evidence to the European Parliament, a German assembly member claims; a parliamentary committee session will examine mass-surveillance by intelligence agencies

Thursday 5 December 2013

"There is a War on Journalism": Jeremy Scahill on NSA Leaks & New Investigative Reporting Venture

Yochai Benkler, Berkman professor for entrepreneurial legal studies at Harvard Law School spoke on NSA Surveillance, Snowden, and Freedom

Swedish Defence Minister Karin Enström said that it was not surprising that Sweden cooperated with the United States' National Security Agency (NSA) in spying on Russia

Revealed: How the Nsa Targets Italy

Government whistle-blowers to Edward Snowden: Don't come home

Obama defends NSA against latest spying report, but still, he says he’ll propose “some self-restraint” on the agency

Microsoft labels US government a ‘persistent threat' in plan to cut off NSA spying

PM Tony Abbott says Australia has made no commitment to stop spying on Indonesia as the two countries try to repair their relationship after the recent espionage allegations

Swedish signals intelligence agency FRA spied on Russian leaders and shared the data collected with the US

Ashkan Soltani explains how the NSA is gathering billions of records a day on cellphones

British agents in Russia instructed to find Snowden – Canadian NGO

Wednesday 4 December 2013

USA Today’s Rem Rieder: 'Guardian' deserves praise for Snowden work

The NSA could figure out how many Americans it’s spying on - It just doesn’t want to

NSA considered spying on Australians 'unilaterally', leaked paper reveals; 2005 draft directive says citizens of '5-Eyes' countries may be targeted without knowledge or consent of partner agencies

Revelations about NSA surveillance have created a “climate of concern” for libraries, which are seeking to defend the freedom to read and research away from the government’s prying eyes.

NSA tracking cellphone locations worldwide, Snowden documents show

Why There is Nothing Wrong With the Fact That Less Than 1% of NSA Files Have Been Published

The NSA Reportedly Has Total Access To The Apple iPhone

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Alan Rusbridger, Guardian Editor, Describes Pressure After Leaks by Snowden

Australia's defence minister, David Johnston, warns of more leaks to come and says “5-Eyes” partners have 'achieved too much' to stop

Guardian will not be intimidated over NSA leaks, EIC Alan Rusbridger tells MPs

Only 1% of Snowden files published - Guardian editor

Business practices at Silicon Valley may have helped the NSA gather consumers’ personal data

Monday 2 December 2013

NSA Sent Home Talking Points for Employees to Use in Conversations with Family & Friends During Holidays

Guardian's numerical guide to the surveillance industry video: How much data is collected, from what countries? How much money? The scale and mis-prioritizing is shown here.

Edward Snowden revelations prompt UN investigation into surveillance; UN's senior counter-terrorism official says revelations 'are at the very apex of public interest concerns'.

US military base in Greenland is used by the CIA and the NSA as part of their monitoring of telecommunications

Sunday 1 December 2013

The long arm of US law: what next for Edward Snowden? - The US will chase the NSA whistleblower wherever he tries to go, and if he ends up in an American court, he may not be free for decades

The privacy of ordinary Australians is under serious threat | Intelligence representatives offered to share the confidential data of law-abiding Australians with international partners. In this Orwellian climate, who will guard the guardians?

[Tim Berners-Lee: Spies' cracking of encryption undermines the web's privacy & security: It's appalling, to deliberately to break software. >>>

[The NSA] is naive imagining that introducing weaknesses into a system, they will be the only one to use it. The IT industry feels that's a betrayal.](http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/dec/03/tim-berners-lee-spies-cracking-encryption-web-snowden)

The NSA files leaked by Edward Snowden are full of intelligence services jargon. Decode it with this quick guide to 21st-century spy-speak

Feinstein and Rogers say terrorism threat to US is increasing; House intelligence committee leader uses appearance to bemoan effect of leaks on US surveillance programmes.

NOVEMBER
Saturday 30 November 2013

Q&A with Alan Rusbridger, editor of the Guardian, about British government pressure on the newspaper

Dutch intelligence agency AIVD hacks internet forums | A secret document of former NSA-contractor Edward Snowden shows that the AIVD use a technology called Computer Network Exploitation to hack the web forums and collect the data.

Thursday 28 November 2013

The war on democracy: How corporations and spy agencies use “security” to defend profiteering and crush activism.

Canada 'allowed NSA to spy on G8 and G20 summits'

Wednesday 27 November 2013

WSJ Columnist attempts to take down Electronic Frontier Foundation's efforts to uncover NSA Abuses, repeatedly getting facts wrong. EFF sets the record straight.

Bruce Schneier VICE interview: The NSA is committing a cardinal sin - weakening the Internet by targeting security measures that make it secure from real bad guys, and safe for everyone else.

New Snowden docs show U.S. spied during G20 in Toronto

Tuesday 26 November 2013

Microsoft, suspecting NSA spying, to ramp up efforts to encrypt its internet traffic

NSA contracts stored in paper files, unsearchable, unindexed. And unaccountable to citizens, Congressional oversight and journalists, perhaps by design.

Top-Secret Document Reveals NSA Spied On Porn Habits As Part Of Plan To Discredit 'Radicalizers'

The NSA and surveillance ... made simple - an animated video explainer by The Guardian

Monday 25 November 2013

Intelligence officials fret over Snowden's heavily-encrypted 'doomsday cache' of NSA documents. Spy source claims it as 'insurance' against Snowden capture or physical harm.

White House Says It Will Respond to 'Pardon Edward Snowden' Petition

Saturday 23 November 2013

NSA TreasureMap

New Snowden leaks expose the NSA's play for more power

NSA infected 50,000 computer networks with malicious software designed to steal sensitive information.

NSA malware infected over 50,000 computer networks worldwide

Friday 22 November 2013

House intel bill adds $75 million to NSA budget to stop future Snowdens

N.S.A. Report Outlined Goals for More Power

Thursday 21 November 2013

UN surveillance resolution goes ahead despite attempts to dilute language; Failed attempt by US, UK and Australia shows increased isolation of 'Five-Eyes' nations amid international controversy.

Massive Man-in-the-Middle Attacks Have Been Hijacking Huge Amounts Of Internet Traffic Through Belarus and Iceland – And Almost No One Noticed.

Wednesday 20 November 2013

US & UK struck secret deal to allow NSA to 'unmask' Britons' personal phone, internet & email data; allows NSA to store previously restricted material; innocent UK citizens caught up in dragnet; proposes US spying on 'Five-Eyes' allies
Tuesday 19 November 2013

Court order that allowed NSA surveillance is revealed for first time. FISA court judge who authorised massive tapping of metadata was hesitant but felt she could not stand in the way.
Monday 18 November 2013

Private firms selling mass surveillance systems around world, documents show. One Dubai-based firm offers DIY system similar to GCHQ's Tempora programme, which taps fibre-optic cables.

"Much more is coming" - Snowden's father in exclusive interview

Indonesia recalls its ambassador to Australia after spying leak

Desperately Seeking Snowden: British Intelligence Operation to Kidnap Edward Snowden?

Sunday 17 November 2013

Snowden cache reveals diplomats' hotel bookings being tracked by GCHQ

New Snowden leak: 2009 document shows Australia tried to monitor Indonesian president's phone

Ex-lord Chancellor defends Guardian reporting of Snowden files, says he’s sceptical of warnings from spy agency chiefs. Threat from NSA leaks may have been overstated, says Lord Falconer

NSA Asked Linus Torvalds To Install Backdoors Into GNU/Linux

Friday 15 November 2013

New York Times backs the Guardian over Snowden leaks
Thursday 14 November 2013

CIA Leaks: The Central Intelligence Agency is secretly collecting bulk records of international money transfers handled by companies like Western Union — including transactions into and out of the United States

Snowden Took As Many As 200,000 NSA Documents

Tuesday 12 November 2013

The edge of the abyss: exposing the NSA's all-seeing machine
Monday 11 November 2013

Only a day later, McCain withdraws his demand that NSA Director Alexander resign over agency's abuses.

GCHQ set up fake LinkedIn pages to spy on mobile phone giants using using 'Quantum Insert' technique

How the NSA and GCHQ Spied on OPEC: America's NSA and Britain's GCHQ are both spying on the OPEC oil cartel, documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden reveal. The security of the global energy supply is one of the most important issues for the intelligence agencies.

Sunday 10 November 2013

McCain says NSA chief Alexander ‘should resign or be fired,’ ‘be held accountable’ for Snowden leaks

[Developing: NSA and GCHQ performed economic espionage against OPEC's European Headquarters by using LinkedIn's website to hack innocent employees >>

[German]](http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spiegel.de%2Fnetzwelt%2Fnetzpolitik%2Fbritischer-gchq-nutzt-gefaelschte-linkedin-seiten-a-932714.html)

Saturday 9 November 2013

Business-logic of cooperating with the NSA has changed: “no real downside to cooperating with illegal spying requests” has changed, post-Snowden, to “destined to be made public”

NSA leaks on Canadian surveillance coming, Greenwald says

Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger to be questioned by UK MPs over NSA leaks regarding claims that revelations were damaging national security

Friday 8 November 2013

Feinstein’s NSA “reform” bill shows she doesn’t have a clue about intelligence reform, a big step backwards for privacy. In contrast, the USA Freedom Act would stop intelligence abuses.
Thursday 7 November 2013

NSA and GCHQ mass surveillance is violation of European law, report finds - Authors of study warn of 'systematic breach of people's fundamental rights' and call for EU parliament to take action

C.I.A. Is Said to Pay AT&T for Call Data

LIVE - Heads of MI5, SIS (MI6) and GCHQ face live televised public grilling from UK MPs at 14:00 GMT

Wednesday 6 November 2013

Sarah Harrison joins other Edward Snowden files 'exiles' in Berlin; UK journalist's lawyers advise against returning home after assisting NSA whistleblower, says statement on WikiLeaks site

Google engineer accuses NSA and GCHQ of subverting 'judicial process' - Anti-hacking expert claims British spy agency is 'even worse' than NSA for tapping private networks between Google's centres

What Yahoo and Google did not think the NSA could see

Leaked Document Reveals Plot to Destabilize Venezuelan Goverment: "US Embassy Officials Encouraging Acts of Sabotage"

Google has started encrypting traffic between data centers, effectively halting joint surveillance by NSA and GCHQ

Tuesday 5 November 2013

Apple takes strong privacy stance in new report, publishes rare “warrant canary”: “Apple has never received an order under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act.”
Monday 4 November 2013

How we know the NSA had access to internal Google and Yahoo cloud data

Google chairman: NSA spying on our data centres 'outrageous'. Eric Schmidt says company has lodged complaints with NSA, White House and Congress as criticism hardens in Silicon Valley

Brazil Acknowledges Spying on Diplomats From U.S.

Saturday 2 November 2013

Germany admits Europe's spy agencies cooperate on surveillance

NSA spying: Germany and Brazil produce draft UN resolution | Document does not name US but calls for end to mass surveillance and gross invasions of privacy

NSA: Australia and US used climate change conference to spy on Indonesia; Australian agency helped carry out mass surveillance of hosts as Kevin Rudd walked world stage at 2007 Bali conference

Portrait of the NSA: no detail too small in quest for total surveillance; the NSA gathers intelligence to keep America safe. But leaked documents reveal the NSA's dark side – and show an agency intent on exploiting the digital revolution to the full

Metropolitan police admit in filings that key reason for detaining David Miranda under UK terrorism powers was for promoting a “political or ideological cause”

Friday 1 November 2013

Snowden document reveals key role of companies in NSA data collection. NSA leverages relationships with commercial partners to collect vast quantities of data from fibre-optic cables, file shows.

NSA surveillance may cause breakup of internet, warn experts; Moves by Brazil, Germany & India towards creating separate networks in order to block spying may signal fundamental changes.

NSA Files Decoded: What the Revelations Mean For You

GCHQ and European spy agencies worked together on mass surveillance; Edward Snowden papers unmask close technical cooperation and loose alliance between British, German, French, Spanish and Swedish spy agencies

Australia, a close ally of the United States, has used its embassies in Asia to collect intelligence as part of the National Security Agency’s global surveillance efforts, according to a document leaked by the former agency contractor Edward J. Snowden

Closed Senate committee passes bill that cements bulk NSA record collection; the bill cements bulk phone metadata collection into the business records provision (Section 215) of the Patriot Act, strengthening NSA surveillance legality allowed under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

OCOTBER
Thursday 31 October 2013

German MP meets Snowden, says he is willing to come to Germany for inquiry

[Letter from Edward Snowden to German Parliament >>

[PDF]](http://www.spiegel.de/media/media-32616.pdf)

German Counterintelligence pushed to do more to fight NSA spying, but with limited resources and a complex bureaucracy, that may not be easy.

Greenwald: On leaving the Guardian. Reporting the NSA story hasn't been easy, but it's always been fulfilling. It's what journalism at its crux is about, and we must protect that.

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Google chief legal officer, David Drummond, responds to reports of NSA tapping into Google data centers abroad: "We are outraged at the lengths to which the government seems to have gone to intercept data from our private fiber networks, and it underscores the need for urgent reform."

Darkmail opens: New email encryption standard aims to keep gov't agencies out. Silent Circle & Lavabit demonstrate service stopping ‘state snoopers, hackers, data-miners,’ from accessing email metadata.

Google and Yahoo furious over reports that NSA secretly intercepts data links; leaked files suggest NSA can collect information 'at will' by intercepting cables that connect Google and Yahoo's data hubs

Revealed: NSA pushed 9/11 as key 'sound bite' to justify surveillance

NSA infiltrates links to Yahoo, Google data centers worldwide, Snowden documents say

Spain colluded in NSA spying on its citizens, Spanish newspaper reports; El Mundo says it has obtained documents detailing collaboration between US intelligence agency and foreign countries

Tuesday 29 October 2013

[>>
[OFFICIAL] - Donate to the Edward Snowden defense fund (managed by Wikileaks)](http://freesnowden.is/)

Europe considers sanctions against U.S. over spying

The USA Freedom Act – Jim Sensenbrenner's NSA reform bill; the bill introduced by the Republican author of the Patriot Act aims to end bulk metadata collection

NSA stores data to target any citizen at any time - Greenwald

Obama sidesteps questions on NSA spying and what he knew – video

Monday 28 October 2013

NSA spying has nothing to do with terrorism, Greenwald tells Amanpour

David Cameron makes veiled threat to media over NSA and GCHQ leaks; Prime Minister alludes to courts and D notices and singles out the Guardian over coverage of Edward Snowden saga

Monday 28 October 2013

Spain summons US ambassador over claim NSA tracked 60m calls a month; El Mundo newspaper reports having seen NSA document that reveals extent of agency's monitoring of Spanish phone calls
Sunday 27 October 2013

U.S. spied on billions of calls in the Middle East, documents reveal: Leaked documents have revealed that the U.S. National Security Agency intercepted 125 billion phone calls and SMS messages in January 2013**, many of them in the Middle East.

Embassy Espionage: The NSA's Secret Spy Hub in Berlin

Barack Obama 'approved tapping Angela Merkel's phone 3 years ago'; President Barack Obama was told about monitoring of German Chancellor in 2010 and allowed it to continue, says German newspaper

Saturday 26 October 2013

NSA surveillance: Germany to send intelligence officials to US; move comes as Der Spiegel reports that Angela Merkel's phone might have been monitored for more than 10 years
Friday 25 October 2013

UK Spies Knew That Its Surveillance Was Likely Illegal, Which Is Why They Fought To Keep It So Secret

As Europe erupts over US spying, NSA chief says government must stop media

US Spies on Its Allies For Business Intel, Not For National Security

Leaked memos reveal GCHQ efforts to keep mass surveillance secret - Edward Snowden papers show UK spy agency fears legal challenge if scale of surveillance is made public

Americans in fury over NSA spying: mass rally blessed by Snowden to be held in DC

NSA revelations: Spain also a victim of US espionage: 'NSA not only combed the telephone conversations, text messages and emails of millions of Spaniards, but it also spied on members of the Spanish government and politicians'

Americans in fury over NSA spying: mass rally blessed by Snowden to be held in DC

Thursday 24 October 2013

Officials alert foreign services that Snowden has documents on their cooperation with the U.S.

NSA monitored calls of 35 world leaders after US official handed over contacts

[US and British intelligence services have monitored Italian telecoms networks, targeting the government and companies as well as suspected terrorist groups, Italian weekly L'Espresso reported >>

[In Italian]](http://espresso.repubblica.it/internazionale/2013**/10/24/news/cosi-ci-spiano-stati-uniti-e-gran-bretagna-1.138890)

Germany summons US ambassador over spying

Wednesday 23 October 2013

[Angela Merkel called Barack Obama today to complain against NSA attempts to eavesdrop on her personal phone. Internal investigations done by german intelligence agencies clearly hinted at US attempts to break into her phone. >>
[Source in German]](http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/nsa-merkel-beschwert-sich-bei-obama-a-929636.html)

There's A Glaring Lack Of Evidence Behind Claims That NSA Spying Stopped 54 Attacks

European Parliament calls for suspension of EU-US bank data deal (SWIFT) in response to NSA snooping

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Canadian civil liberties group sues Spy agency (Equivalent of NSA) for violating the charter of rights and freedoms

Edward Snowden NSA files: Guardian should be prosecuted, says Tory MP; Julian Smith speech to Commons attacked as McCarthyite by Labour MPs, furious at being prevented from speaking

America Snoops on Italian Emails, Text Messages and Conversations

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Obama calls Hollande in attempt to soothe tensions stemming from NSA spying on French telecommunications
Monday 21 October 2013

Snowden leaks: France summons US envoy over NSA surveillance claims - Demand follows claims in Le Monde that US agency has been intercepting phone calls of French citizens on 'a massive scale'
Sunday 20 October 2013

NSA Hacked Email Account of Mexican President "The NSA has been systematically eavesdropping on the Mexican govet for years. It hacked into the president's public email account and gained deep insight into policy making and the political system."
Friday 18 October 2013

Edward Snowden: I brought no leaked NSA documents to Russia; US whistleblower says he handed over all digital material to journalists he worked with in Hong Kong
Thursday 17 October 2013

UK launches parliamentary inquiry into Guardian’s NSA leaks
Wednesday 16 October 2013

Snowden leaks: David Cameron urges committee to investigate Guardian; PM says leaks have damaged national security and suggests MPs could 'examine issue and make further recommendations'

NSA files: Australian spies scooped up thousands of email accounts to help US

Tuesday 15 October 2013

Exclusive: Glenn Greenwald Will Leave Guardian To Create New News Organization; the reporter who broke the NSA story promises “a momentous new venture.” A “very substantial new media outlet” with serious backing, he says
Monday 14 October 2013

Greenwald on Snowden Leaks: The Worst Is Yet to Come

NSA collects millions of e-mail address books globally

"Not a single byte should leave Germany" - Communication giants put forward plan to combat NSA spies with German-only network hubs

Sunday 13 October 2013

New York Times says UK tried to get it to hand over Snowden documents

GCHQ accused of monitoring privileged emails between lawyers and clients; allegation relates to eight Libyan nationals and comes in wake of Guardian's revelations about GCHQ and Tempora programme

Saturday 12 October 2013

[Snowden: US govt allows top officials to lie to Congress, yet prosecutes truth-tellers - >>
[4:02]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=lesFHt0Cs-U)
Friday 11 October 2013

PATRIOT Act Author Says James Clapper Should Be Fired And Prosecuted; Plans Law To Stop NSA Overreach

[Edward Snowden speaks about NSA programmes at Sam Adams award presentation in Moscow - >>

[0:54]](

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Skype under investigation in Luxembourg over link to NSA. Ten years ago, the calling service had a reputation as a tool for evading surveillance but now it is under scrutiny for covertly passing data to government agencies

Thursday 10 October 2013

Edward Snowden: first official photo appears since Russian asylum granted, meeting former US government officials hours after father arrives in Moscow.

Patriot Act author prepares bill to put NSA bulk collection 'out of business'

The Daily Mail describes the Guardian as 'The paper that helps Britain's enemies' regarding the NSA revelations. These are the responses from the world's leading Editors.

Edward Snowden's father arrives in Moscow 'hoping to see son': Lon Snowden lands at Sheremetyevo airport and meets lawyer for intelligence contractor who exposed huge NSA data trawl

Wednesday 09 October 2013

Lavabit founder offered to log users' metadata if FBI paid him $3,500: Ladar Levison, the secure email service's founder, made the offer in an effort to safeguard passwords and prevent the FBI from mining incoming data

MI5 chief's condemnation of Snowden GCHQ leaks backed by David Cameron: PM endorses spy chief but Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger warns MI5 'cannot be only voice in this debate'

Tuesday 08 October 2013

How The NSA Deploys Malware: An In-Depth Look at the New Revelations

Brazil accuses Canada of spying after NSA leaks: Canadian ambassador summoned to explain claims spy agency collected Brazilian energy ministry internet and phone data

Australian government withheld knowledge of PRISM program; FOI request confirms Attorney General's Department prepared a secret ministerial briefing in March

NYU’s Brennan Center for Justice study: What the Government Does with Americans' Data

While the Harper government is preaching government austerity, it is spending almost $1.2 billion on a new spy palace - Ottawa headquarters for military spy agency. It's the most expensive Canadian government building ever constructed

Monday 07 October 2013

Obama administration decides NSA spying is ‘essential,’ but oversight of NSA is not

Canada spying in Brazil: more to come, Greenwald promises; journalist Glenn Greenwald says he has more documents regarding Canada's spying in Brazil

National Insecurity: How The NSA Has Put The Internet And Our Security At Risk

Sunday 6 October 2013

German BND (NSA equiv) has deal to tap ISPs at major Internet Exchange; spy agency stays mum on how it's distinguishing domestic vs. foreign traffic (Der Spiegel via Google Translate)

Prism and Tempora: the cabinet was told nothing of the surveillance state's excesses; was the Home Office deliberately misleading ministers by asking for powers that we now know GCHQ already had?

Cabinet was told nothing about GCHQ spying programmes, says Chris Huhne: Ex-minister says he was in 'utter ignorance' of Prism and Tempora and calls for tighter oversight of security services

Saturday 05 October 2013

NSA report on the Tor encrypted network
Friday 04 October 2013

Why the NSA's attacks on the internet must be made public

Attacking Tor: how the NSA targets users' online anonymity

NSA tracks Google ads to find Tor users

'Peeling back the layers of Tor with EgotisticalGiraffe'

NSA and GCHQ target Tor network that protects anonymity of web users

Thursday 03 October 2013

Lavabit founder reveals that the FBI demanded access to over 400,000 email accounts, not just Snowden's, prompting the company's closure

The Snowden files: why the British public should be worried about GCHQ; Britain is sliding towards an entirely new kind of surveillance society

[NEWSNIGHT: Glenn Greenwald full interview on Snowden, NSA, GCHQ and spying - >>

[14:09]](

)

NSA Experiment Traced U.S. Cellphone Locations; in 2010 and 2011 conducted a secret pilot project to test the collection of bulk data about the location of Americans’ cellphones

Tuesday 1 October 2013

John McAfee's $100 'anti-NSA' device: 'this is coming and cannot be stopped'
SEPTEMBER
Monday 30 September 2013

NSA stores metadata of millions of web users for up to a year, secret files show; vast amounts of data kept in repository codenamed Marina; data retained regardless of whether person is NSA target
Sunday 29 September 2013

A CEO (Qwest) who resisted NSA spying is out of prison. And he feels ‘vindicated’ by Snowden leaks.
Saturday 28 September 2013

N.S.A. Gathers Data on Social Connections of U.S. Citizens

New Snowden Leak: NSA gathers bank codes, insurance information, Facebook profiles, passenger manifests, voter registration rolls, GPS LOCATION INFO, and more; maps it all into "social maps"

Thursday 26 September 2013

US intelligence chiefs urge Congress to preserve surveillance programs; officials refuse to say in Senate testimony whether cell site data had ever been used to pinpoint an individual's location
Wednesday 25 September 2013

Snowden Files Reveal NSA Spied On Private Communications of Swedish Citizens
Saturday 21 September 2013

Major US security company warns over NSA link to encryption formula: RSA, the security arm of EMC, sends email to customers over default random number generator which uses weak formula via /u/SlintercellDoubleAge
Friday 20 September 2013

Belgacom Attack: Britain's GCHQ (not the NSA) Hacked Belgian Telecoms Firm, according to Snowden documents
Wednesday 18 Sepember 2013

NSA says Snowden took documents from internal website: report
Tuesday 17 September 2013

FOIA request reveals that the NSA contracts with French internet security firm Vupen for information on weak points and help in weakening keying protocols via /u/Iulianus
Monday 16 September 2013

The NSA has hacked telecommunications firm Belgacom, targeting information concerning the principal organs of the EU in Brussels via /u/Iulianus
Sunday 15 September 2013

'Follow the Money': The NSA is interested in international payments processed by companies including Visa, SPIEGEL has learned. It has even set up its own financial database to track money flows through a "tailored access operations" division.
Thursday 12 September 2013

Obama's NSA surveillance review panel did not discuss changes, attendees say "Pair say meeting was dominated by tech firms' interests and session did not broach the topic of changes to data collection"
Wednesday 11 September 2013

NSA and Israeli intelligence: memorandum of understanding – full document. Top-secret document shows how intelligence being shared with Israel would not be filtered in advance by NSA analysts to remove US communications

NSA shares raw intelligence including Americans' data with Israel: Secret deal places no legal limits on use of data by Israelis, only official US government communications protected

Monday 9 September 2013

NSA accused of spying on Brazilian oil company Petrobras: Accusations that NSA is conducting intelligence-gathering operations that go beyond its core mission of national security

Ten Things We've Learned About The NSA From A Summer Of Snowden Leaks (Forbes META review, nicely sourced)

Saturday 7 September 2013

Privacy Scandal: NSA Can Spy on Smart Phone Data. SPIEGEL has learned from internal NSA documents that the US intelligence agency has the capability of tapping user data from the iPhone, devices using Android as well as BlackBerry, a system previously believed to be highly secure.

Obama administration had restrictions on NSA reversed in 2011

Thursday 5 September 2013

NSA: classification guide for cryptanalysis. Guide reveals that NSA 'obtains cryptographic details of commercial cryptographic information security systems through industry relationships'

Revealed: how US and UK spy agencies defeat internet privacy and security. NSA and GCHQ unlock encryption used to protect emails, banking and medical records; $250m-a-year US program works covertly with tech companies to insert weaknesses into products.

Project Bullrun – classification guide to the NSA's decryption program. Guide for NSA employees and contractors on Bullrun outlines its goals – and reveals that the agency has capabilities against widely-used online protocols such as HTTPS

Sigint – how the NSA collaborates with technology companies. Document shows how 'signals intelligence', or Sigint, 'actively engages US and foreign IT industries to covertly influence and/or overtly leverage their commercial products' designs'

Monday 2 September 2013

Top-secret U.S. intelligence files show new levels of distrust of Pakistan

NSA 'spied on communications' of Brazil and Mexico presidents. Brazil's Globo news program reports revelations based on documents obtained by Glenn Greenwald from Edward Snowden

Sunday 1 September 2013

U.S. intelligence agencies spend millions to hunt for insider threats, document shows

Success Story: NSA Targeted French Foreign Ministry

AUGUST
Saturday 31 August 2013

Snowden Document: NSA Spied On Al Jazeera Communications
Friday 30 August 2013

U.S. spy agencies mounted 231 offensive cyber-operations in 2011, documents show
Thursday 29 August 2013

NSA paying U.S. companies for access to communications networks

U.S. spy network’s successes, failures and objectives detailed in ‘black budget’ summary

Monday 26 August 2013

Codename 'Apalachee': How America Spies on Europe and the UN
Sunday 25 August 2013

NSA hacked UN video calls as part of surveillance program, claims report.
Friday 23 August 2013

NSA officers... on several occasions have channelled their agency’s enormous eavesdropping power to spy on love interests
Thursday 22 August 2013

NSA paid millions to cover Prism compliance costs for tech companies. Top-secret files show first evidence of financial relationship; Prism companies include Google and Yahoo, says NSA. Costs were incurred after 2011 Fisa court ruling.
Thursday 15 August 2013

What to say, and not to say, to 'our overseers': This document tells NSA analysts how to explain their targeting decisions without giving "extraneous information" to "our FAA overseers."

NSA report on privacy violations in the first quarter of 2012: this is the full executive summary, with names redacted by The Post, of a classified internal report on breaches of NSA privacy rules and legal restrictions.

Friday 9 August 2013

NSA loophole allows warrant less search for US citizens' emails and phone calls. Exclusive: Spy agency has secret backdoor permission to search databases for individual Americans' communications
Friday 2 August 2013

BT and Vodafone among Telecom companies passing details to GCHQ: Fears of customer backlash over breach of privacy as firms give GCHQ unlimited access to their undersea cables
Thursday 1 August 2013

GCHQ: Inside the top secret world of Britain's biggest spy agency. Files leaked by Edward Snowden reveal how the NSA pays for and influences some of the UK's intelligence gathering programs

Exclusive: NSA pays £100m in secret funding for GCHQ. Secret payments revealed in leaks by Edward Snowden. GCHQ expected to 'pull its weight' for Americans; Weaker regulation of British spies 'a selling point' for NSA.

JULY
Wednesday 31 July 2013

XKeyscore presentation from 2008 – read in full: Training materials for the XKeyscore program detail how analysts can use it and other systems to mine enormous agency databases and develop intelligence from the web

XKeyscore: NSA tool collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet'

Saturday 20 July 2013

Prolific Partner: German Intelligence Used NSA Spy Program
Friday 12 July 2013

Telstra signed deal that would have allowed US spying: Australian company agreed to allow US government to store information on communications between US and other countries
Thursday 11 July 2013

Microsoft handed the NSA access to encrypted messages: Secret files show scale of Silicon Valley co-operation on Prism, Outlook.com encryption unlocked even before official launch, Skype worked to enable Prism collection of video calls
Monday 8 July 2013

Snowden reveals Australia's links to US spy web
Sunday 7 July 2013

How the NSA Threatens National Security | Our choice isn't between a digital world where the agency can eavesdrop and one where it cannot; our choice is between a digital world that is vulnerable to any attacker and one that is secure for all users. - Bruce Schneier
Thursday 4 July 2013

France 'runs vast electronic spying operation using NSA-style methods'. Intelligence agency has spied on French public's phone calls, emails and internet activity
JUNE
Sunday 30 June 2013

New NSA leaks show how US is bugging its European allies. Exclusive: Edward Snowden papers reveal 38 targets including EU, France and Italy
Saturday 29 June 2013

Attacks from America: NSA Spied on European Union Offices
Thursday 27 June 2013

NSA collected US email records in bulk for more than two years under Obama: Secret program launched by Bush continued 'until 2011', Fisa court renewed collection order every 90 days

Justice Department and NSA memos proposing broader powers for NSA to collect data: Correspondence involving attorney general Michael Mukasey in 2007 requesting permission for the NSA to expand its 'contact chains' deeper into Americans' email records

NSA inspector general report on email and internet data collection under Stellar Wind. Top-secret draft report from 2009 by the NSA's inspector general shows development of 'collection of bulk internet metadata' under program launched under Bush

Sunday 23 June 2013

South China Morning Post Exclusive: US spies on Chinese mobile phone companies, steals SMS data says Edward Snowden

South China Morning Post Exclusive: US hacked Pacnet, Asia Pacific fibre-optic network operator, in 2009

Friday 21 June 2013

GCHQ taps fibre-optic cables for secret access to world's communications. Exclusive: British spy agency collects and stores vast quantities of global email messages, Facebook posts, internet histories and calls, and shares them with NSA, latest documents from Edward Snowden reveal
Thursday 20 June 2013

The top secret rules that allow NSA to use US data without a warrant: FISA court submissions show broad scope of procedures governing NSA's surveillance of Americans' communication

Skype's secret "Project Chess" reportedly helped NSA access customers' data; scheme set up even before firm was purchased by Microsoft

Procedures used by NSA to minimize data collection from US persons: Exhibit B – full document

Procedures used by NSA to target non-US persons: Exhibit A – full document

Monday 17 June 2013

How the NSA is still harvesting your online data: Files show vast scale of current NSA metadata programs, with one stream alone celebrating 'one trillion records processed'
Sunday 16 June 2013

UK intelligence agencies planned to spy on Commonwealth summit delegates: Top-secret document, prepared by GCHQ, contained proposals to target Commonwealth allies at heads of government summit

How GCHQ stepped up spying on South African foreign ministry: UK hoped to find out everything it could about negotiating position of Thabo Mbeki's government

GCHQ intercepted foreign politicians' communications at G20 summits. Exclusive: phones were monitored and fake internet cafes set up to gather information from allies in London in 2009

Tuesday 11 June 2013

Boundless Informant: the NSA's secret tool to track global surveillance data
Friday 7 June 2013

Obama orders US to draw up overseas target list for cyber-attacks. Exclusive: Top-secret directive steps up offensive cyber capabilities to 'advance US objectives around the world'
Thursday 6 June 2013

Verizon court order: telephone call meta data and what it can show. The US insists call data is not private information, but critics say it allows government to build detailed picture of individuals' lives

NSA Prism program taps in to user data of Apple, Google and others: Top-secret Prism program claims direct access to servers of firms including Google, Apple and Facebook

Wednesday 5 June 2013 19.04 EDT

Verizon forced to hand over telephone data – full court ruling. The US government is collecting the phone records of millions of US customers of Verizon under a top secret court order. Read the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court order here.

NSA collecting phone records of millions of Verizon customers daily. Exclusive: Top secret court order requiring Verizon to hand over all call data shows scale of domestic surveillance under Obama

I suggest you get started since you appear to have been living under a rock for the past year or so.

"There is none." Quite possibly the most laughable claim ever made on this website.

[randome]

41. Jesus fuck, this is the longest post I've ever seen on DU!

And 90% of it is paranoic fantasy about what the NSA might be doing or that they have the capability of doing. And much of it concerns Britain's GCHQ, not the NSA.

Even your first item, Mystic, refers to a capability. Show me evidence that the NSA is violating their Prime Directive to not spy on American citizens.

It doesn't need to be a smoking gun. A warm gun will do.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Aspire to inspire.[/center][/font][hr]

[Gravitycollapse]

47. I'm going to cut you off at the pass and just get the fact that you're an equivocator out of the way

There's no need to waste time fleshing that out of your apologia.

Thus, I'm not going to argue with you about the legality of metadata collection. I'll tell you that it is definitive evidence that the US commits mass acts of espionage on the US population. Whether or not you choose to accept that reality is entirely in your hands. My guess is you won't accept it for a number of puerile reasons. Which is okay because the absurdity of your stance is so hilariously transparent, I'm not really concerned you'll convince anyone who isn't already as hedged against reality as you.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/us/nsa-examines-social-networks-of-us-citizens.html?_r=0

[randome]

55. The metadata that we've known about since 2006.

The metadata that Carl Bernstein says has sufficient safeguards against abuse.

Sure, you can live in fear if you want. But if I'm going to be afraid of something, I want evidence first. Like Snowden, you haven't offered any.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]A 90% chance of rain means the same as a 10% chance:
It might rain and it might not.[/center][/font][hr]

[Gravitycollapse]

59. Equivocation: "This isn't news" - Reality: "Yes it is"

News implies first revelation but does not necessitate it. Information that was publicly available but otherwise ignored can be delivered in a new fashion which draws greater attention, thus accomplishing what could not be accomplished before. Namely, making it news.

[Rex]

71. And it seems some people only exist to attempt to bury bad news.

Those that MUST point out something is from 2010...so? It was bad news then and it is still bad news...why are you bothered by people talking about it? Ironically enough, for their own claimed lack of interest in the topic - they sure do spend almost all their time in threads on the subject.

[zeemike]

50. Thread wining post.

They asked for the mountain of evidence and you gave it to them.
Now the complaint is that it was too long and so does not count as evedence...

[Gravitycollapse]

61. I knew the likely response before I posted it. Someone who says "there is none..."

To the proposition that evidence exists that the US spies on its own citizens is so far gone that even a mountain of evidence isn't going to help.

[Rex]

69. Almost as funny as believing anyone here has internal knowledge of how the NSA works

THEN comes here in GD and pretends like they do! Funny as hell! All these 'experts' telling us not to worry about Big Brother...

[Sheepshank]

133. two teeny tiny items that makes this long assed post kinds dumb

1. " YOU can rest assured...." is what you had been told. You are mentioned somewhere in that post? YOU and YOUR name are in there somewhere?

2. This truncated one liner "Lawsuit accuses IBM of hiding China risks amid NSA spy scandal " is not about government intrusion, its about corporations being intrusive which was the point of the OP. Sort of blows the whole manifesto apart.

Paranoia is running rampant imho.

[Gravitycollapse]

134. Maybe you should try reading what you post about, perhaps?

You will notice the original post by MineralMan says "Anyone who posts openly on DU..."

Which would include me.


Second, I never claimed every single link in that post is going to be a new revelation. I said there was a mountain of evidence. And, amongst the hundreds of links provided, there will be overlaps in topic. Regardless of that fact, there's a mountain of evidence provided.


I'll give you a bit of advice: pedantry takes practice and not everyone can master it.

[CanSocDem]

137. Well done. (eom)

[Jesus Malverde]

14. Indeed they are interested in the organizers,

Those who make change and challenge the status quo.

Those people have every right to privacy as we do.

It's like the cops who go to anti-war meetinge. Its wrong in person and wrong online. They used to call them "red squads".

The issue isn't just the surveillance, it's also who has access to it, and how they use it. It's one of the most powerful tools in the world and completely unaccountable. Never mind the violation of the 4th amendment.

[MineralMan]

17. Frankly, I've seen few organizers here.

Last edited Fri May 2, 2014, 09:06 AM - Edit history (1)

Few, indeed.

[1StrongBlackMan]

39. LOL ...

you're breaking some hearts here!

Just ...

[Maedhros]

58. Whether the NSA's activities target me or not, I am still opposed to them.

What if they target a journalist to unearth her sources against her will?

What if they target a demonstration organizer, identify the other major participants in the demonstration, then proactively detain them so that the demonstration is disrupted?

What if they target a drug dealer, take what they find and give it to the DEA along with instructions on how to write the report so that there was no mention of the NSA or its activities?

There are lots of reasons to be very, very concerned with the question of whether NSA operatives (or their corporate partners) can indeed perform the actions suggested by Snowden. Based upon the other information he has leaked, it is an assertion likely to be valid.

[msanthrope]

31. Who here is organizing anything? Agent Mike is bored. nt

[dionysus]

42. ...they're great heroes of freedom, making melodramitic posts railing against Obama and the Dems!

surely the NSA monitors their every post!

[msanthrope]

45. The 101st Chairborne wishes they were that interesting. nt

[Hekate]

51. Okay, now you made me laugh

Lotta melodrama here.

[dionysus]

53. hell, i read today that considering highway tolls to fund repairs is the death of american freedom!

[JoePhilly]

77. Just letting States decide because Congress won't act at all ...

... that kills America.

The outrage generated on DU is almost always inversely related to how bad a situation actually is.

[dionysus]

63. frosting made out of tears on top of the melodrama cake.....

[elias49]

18. BUT...anyone who were to become a target - for whatever reason.

would have everything he or she ever ranted about on DU available for scrutiny...and your buying habits, the books you read, the kind of take-out food you prefer, what's in your bank account. On and on. That's what metadata is all about....a shit-load of data of no significance until someone wants to sort through it ... there's the rub.

[Jesus Malverde]

22. Your sexual preferences, your dating habits, your google searches.

Just because some people live in lolcat world doesn't mean we all do.

[MineralMan]

23. Who do you suppose will become a target?

I've not seen anyone here with that potential so far.

[elias49]

25. Redirect if you like, but you're smart enough

to get the point.
Secondarily, WTF do you really know about the thousands of DUers? C'mon..

[ljm2002]

82. Well, see, here's the thing...

...no one here is worried about whether or not YOU think they make a good target.

That is really not the question.

Furthermore, many of us here would agree with you that we are not likely targets... and yet... we're STILL against the NSA's domestic spying.

Hard to imagine, I know.

[randome]

83. The domestic 'spying', so far as we know, is limited to copies of phone metadata records.

Which even Carl Bernstein said looked safe from abuse.

If Snowden has evidence of other 'domestic spying', why didn't he reveal it? All he's ever done is speak in generalities of what the NSA could do. And of course tried to sabotage our relations with other countries.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]A 90% chance of rain means the same as a 10% chance:
It might rain and it might not.[/center][/font][hr]

[ljm2002]

86. I'm not okay with the government keeping phone metadata...

...from every phone company, on every single American -- as well as everyone else who lives within our borders and possibly outside of them as well. And yes, that IS domestic spying, whether or not you wish to call it that.

Furthermore, we already know of instances where the data collected has been misused and it was not just spying on furriners -- such as agents being titillated by listening in on intimate phone conversations of US military personnel.

We also know that the Five Eyes countries (US, UK, AU, NZ and Canada) routinely use each others' intercepts to get around their own laws concerning domestic spying.

If you really think that Snowden's revelations are really that trivial... then I wonder why there has been such a hue and cry about them from our government.

Finally: I don't give a damn what Carl Bernstein thinks about this data being "safe from abuse". He is not an authority on the topic. I mean, thanks Carl for the Watergate stories, but you have no special knowledge on security matters, particularly in the technological realm we are dealing with.

[randome]

117. None of us are 'authorities' on the subject.

The one thing I agree with is the data sharing among the Five Eyes members. Other than that, I don't see that Snowden has done much that's useful.

As for the metadata, MineralMan's central thesis is correct. You're okay with the telecoms having this information with no controls instead of the NSA that has rigid controls? I honestly don't understand that.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]A 90% chance of rain means the same as a 10% chance:
It might rain and it might not.[/center][/font][hr]

[VanillaRhapsody]

28. that is what the Corporations ARE keeping on file yes

[99Forever]

29. Impressive MM!

Because you personally have ALL the inside info.

I feel much more private now.

[RKP5637]

37. If NSA is looking at my DU dribble, than this country is in far worse shape than I ever imagined. nt

[MADem]

57. Who "disrupts the system" here?

Most of the folks here--myself included--are in the gum-flapping and yammering brigade. We'll throw a few bucks at a candidate, sign an online petition, send a letter to our congressman, do that kind of organizing, but that's "participating" in the system, not disrupting it

When primary and general election season rolls around, I may do a little volunteering to help a candidate or two, hanging shit on doorknobs, maybe collecting signatures on the rare occasion, and the one thing I do, reliably--drive people to the polls, like a lot of others do here, too.... but really, who in hell is "on the barricades" here?

We've got this person or that who does a good thing, like volunteering to help homeless people or doing community outreach, and posts about it, and we've got folks like DemoTex keeping people safe in his fire tower, but the people here aren't system disruptors, if anything, they are system contributors. We had a few people who got involved in Occupy during its brief foray into relevance, but that didn't last long.

What most people are, here, is middle aged and older and they like spirited discussions. We've got the odd young people who want to change the world but they are few and far between, we've got people who like to troll (and there are plenty of those), and we've got the odd older failures who haven't gotten what they want out of life and they want to fight with people to make themselves feel better.

But the "Fight The Power" crowd aren't here, at least not in large numbers. They're at the more edgy, youthful and under-the-radar sites that most of us aren't cool enough to even know about. People like to joke about "Agent Mike" but he probably retired years ago, and he's sleeping in his rocking chair, occasionally checking the DU for sports - related conversations!!!

[Fumesucker]

11. I'm glad someone is keeping an eye on a shifty character such as yourself

I mean you haven't even had a corporate job in decades, clearly you are not with the new American program.

[MineralMan]

15. Oddly enough, all the work I do is for small

Corporations. But I'm a contractor, not an employee. I was once an S corporation, but dropped that. My business is helping businesses succeed. It works for me.

[Jesus Malverde]

16. All I do is post cat pictures all day...

The NSA isn't a bad thing.

[WillyT]

20. LOL !!!

[Jesus Malverde]

24. Seriously cat pictures

I'm done bumping this train wreck.

[Whisp]

32. My donation to cat pictures:

[The Straight Story]

26. You're missing some important components here

First, I can opt out of using google and choose yahoo, etc. I can choose which company will have access to my data. Not to mention google does not know what I do at my bank online, du, etc. The government wants access to all my data, most companies your data as it relates to interactions with them.

Second - those companies don't hold power over me and can't throw me in prison, seize my assets, etc.

Third - We, the people, are the ones who are supposed to be the ones keeping an eye on those in power. That they collect our data without asking and throw people in prison who see theirs is a little odd in my opinion.

If the nsa didn't give a shit they wouldn't be spending so much time and money building data centers and trying to cover their asses.

The question comes down to: How much are willing to send of your money each pay day to the government to collect data and what is it you want them to collect and what is it you want them looking for?

We are paying for this we damn well have a right to gripe about it. Snowden says he could see what we do on the web - why? Could that money be better spent? Is it really going to prevent terrorism or is it a way to collect information on people they can use later? Is it just a way of resources? Do we get access to what those in power see, their emails, etc - or would us doing that land us in jail and if so why do those in power get a pass?

[1StrongBlackMan]

43. Really? ...

First, I can opt out of using google and choose yahoo, etc. I can choose which company will have access to my data. Not to mention google does not know what I do at my bank online, du, etc. The government wants access to all my data, most companies your data as it relates to interactions with them.

Response: I can you really? Ask yourself how most companies that yopu would opt out of, get the info in the first place ... that's right, they purchase it from data miners that you cannot opt out of.

Second - those companies don't hold power over me and can't throw me in prison, seize my assets, etc.

Response: Not true (See: garnishment and contempt of court rules - debt collections)

Third - We, the people, are the ones who are supposed to be the ones keeping an eye on those in power. That they collect our data without asking and throw people in prison who see theirs is a little odd in my opinion.

Response: I think that is the OP's larger point ... shining a light on entities that We, the people, have no control over their collecting our data without asking and allowing their clients to throw people in prison.

[Pholus]

30. Huh. Well, no amazon account, no ebay account, pay in cash as much as I can

Cut the cable a while ago. Install privacy extensions for web browsing. Don't use google.

I guess you just need to tell me where I can opt out of this NSA bullshit and we're good here!

I guess I am asking for too much for thinking I have a right to be left alone if I am doing nothing wrong.

[randome]

36. The NSA is forbidden from spying on Americans. Got it?

Now show me evidence they are breaking that Prime Directive.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Aspire to inspire.[/center][/font][hr]

[Pholus]

48. Duh. Metadata equals surveillance.

American metadata collected by the NSA is, by definition, spying on Americans.

Let me save you the time of claiming metadata is not harmful to privacy. We both know better than that.

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/march/nsa-phone-surveillance-031214.html

Of course, if metadata collection WASN'T spying why did President Obama make a big deal about its custody recently?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/27/obama-national-security-agency-edward-snowden-metadata-plam/6950657/

So there is your evidence. NSA was spying on Americans. Perhaps not exploiting the information, but spying nonetheless.

[randome]

52. Not everyone sees that as 'spying', although I understand your point.

The NSA has a well-established bureaucracy to prevent abuse of the metadata. Even Carl Bernstein said it seemed safe.

But, as I said, I understand the counterpoint that this is the same as 'spying'. I just don't agree with it. And since the telecoms keep this data anyways, it seems a faster and more secure way of getting at the data in the event of an emergency rather than having to go to every telecom in the country with separate warrants.

Actually, I think Obama's proposal to allow a third party to handle the metadata makes it much less secure.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Aspire to inspire.[/center][/font][hr]

[Pholus]

62. Once it is there, the temptation for mission creep will always exist.

This has never been about not trusting this President to do a responsible job and follow the rule of law.

It's always been about the next self-styled Decider-in-Chief who can trivially (and secretly) change those laws back to the Bush-era. In that event those disks farms of "not collected" data will have LOTS of value for J. Edgar-style politics and PNAC style population suppression. Things that can easily destroy a democracy.

So examine the cost versus benefit vs. risk. It has been incredibly expensive, it has no unambiguous successes (and several documented failures), and has an astronomical risk of abuse in the wrong hands.

Adds up to a turkey.

[Hekate]

40. It's what I've been saying ALL ALONG. It would be funny if it were not so sad.

The NSA needs to be reined in -- I believe that. What do they need our "metadata" for? To satisfy a vacuuming compulsion?

However, the entities that really REALLY need to be reined in are the "corporations are people".

[HipChick]

44. Data mining..

That's where it's at...It's made me a good living...It would take a mix of some huge databases to do what Snowden is claiming..

Snowden is full of it...

[ljm2002]

85. "It would take a mix of some huge databases"...

...to do what Snowden is claiming"

What about those real-time pickups on optic cables?

Each of us leaves identifiable traces when browsing the web, shopping, etc. If the government deems you or me a target, they can plug in those identifiable data values (e.g., originating IP address) and siphon off any packets that correspond. That is not coming out of a gigantic database (except in a theoretical way, where you might say that all data that exists is part of a gigantic database). Furthermore, since the NSA actively introduced defects into the security algorithms used in these transactions, there's a good chance they can decipher a lot of encrypted packets.

Anyway, I don't know this is being done, or if that is what Snowden was implying. I'm just saying, it may not require what you think it requires.

Furthermore, the NSA DOES keep "a mix of some huge databases", and they are showing no signs of scaling down. That facility in Utah is nearing completion...

BTW I have worked on software systems that are used in data mining.

[grahamhgreen]

46. History shows clearly that dissent is crushed by those who would stomp on your rights, my man.

[KoKo]

49. No...not important to you...but, if you are in a peace protest or action with signs and slogans

against a corporation, or maybe picket a military installation who is involved with drones or perhaps your local Fox News station goes too far and you join a group picketing their connections....then what you purchase, whom you e-mail, where you go and what you purchase and do would be of huge interest to our NSA Military Contractors who've gotten a list to watch and your name is on it. Maybe your friends and relatives start to be intercepted on Face Book sharing their kids photos or artwork. Maybe you went to the local Unitarian Church who shows Anti-War Documentaries every Thursday night and you've been photographed going there and your fellow Church goers are brought in to be tracked because of their association with you and their attendance.

Maybe your computer at work and home is hacked so that all your contacts get put on a list to be watched. Maybe you did gardening over the weekend and bought some fertilizer and other common things at the Hardware Store and some component could be used to make some crude weapon or maybe you even are power washing your deck and bought a solution which could be used to put in bottles and thrown at someone at your next "Peace Protest." They have records of all you purchased at Ace Hardware, Home Depot or your local Grocery Store that could be seen as possible purchases to produce crude weapons.

This is how this could go. And, it's not new. And you are old enough to remember Senator Joe McCarthy and J. Edgar Hoover and the Tuskegee Experiments and other such great examples of how innocent our Government can be when there are folks there who are intent on going to far for their ideology or suspicions and have folks willing to support them.

[Pholus]

54. Now, KoKo. Stop thinking of obvious alternate uses for this data!

After all, it is collected for just one reason and one reason only. And once it is collected and just sits there it was NEVER be used for any other purpose because we always do the right thing.

My thought right from the beginning was that an administration who lives in fear of "insider-threats" now has a surefire way of stopping leaks to the press. It also has a peach of a way to find out if people doing distasteful things for them might be starting to show signs of a conscience.

For a secrecy-obsessed government, it would seem like a godsend!

[zeemike]

60. Well those who support it have nothing to worry about

MM has nothing to worry about he is protecting them...they are not interested in him.
But go to an Occupy meeting and they will know all about you and if you get too effective they will deliver to the cops all the information that can be useful in arresting and convicting you.

Or even more dangerous if you are a politician that gives the establishment any trouble they can and will destroy you...and I think they all know that, just like they knew J Edgar Hover had files on them and so all of them kissed his ass to keep themselves safe.

But we are in a new age of Big Brother, and predictably there are those among us that think we should love him, and be assimilated into the Borg.

[KoKo]

87. Remember MM's Movie: "Farenheit 9/11" where the Peace Group was Infiltrated by FBI?

Fahrenheit 9/11 Trailer

One of the most controversial and provocative films of the year, Fahrenheit 9/11 is Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore's searing examination of the Bush administration's actions in the wake of the tragic events of 9/11.
With his characteristic humor and dogged commitment to uncovering the facts, Moore considers the presidency of George W. Bush and where it has led us. He looks at how - and why - Bush and his inner circle avoided pursuing the Saudi connection to 9/11, despite the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis and Saudi money had funded Al Qaeda. Fahrenheit 9/11 shows us a nation kept in constant fear by FBI alerts and lulled into accepting a piece of legislation, the USA Patriot Act, that infringes on basic civil rights. It is in this atmosphere of confusion, suspicion and dread that the Bush Administration makes its headlong rush towards war in Iraq and Fahrenheit 9/11 takes us inside that war to tell the stories we haven't heard, illustrating the awful human cost to U.S. soldiers and their families.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/fahrenheit-911-facts/factual-back-up-for-fahrenheit-911-section-six?print=1

One of the most controversial and provocative films of the year, Fahrenheit 9/11 is Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore's searing examination of the Bush administration's actions in the wake of the tragic events of 9/11.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/books-films/fahrenheit-911

[zeemike]

90. Yep I remember it.

But many here seem to have forgotten it or think things changed drastically when Obama was elected.
The only thing that changed was the image they project at us...all that other shit is still in place and still working.

[KoKo]

93. I think those who remember it have moved on..as most of us have..but those who

Last edited Fri May 2, 2014, 08:11 PM - Edit history (1)

still care enough to beat back that "meme" here cannot let stuff like this go without firm replies.

What they have to worry about....is where did those not here any longer GO! And......that's the threat.

It's still possible to "Walk and Chew Gum" and not feel "Left Behind" which was the hope.

If you get my drift.

THEY LIVE! If you didn't get what I was saying. 's

[zeemike]

94. Yes I know they do.

and I have faith that they are smart enough to figure out how things work and to find new ways.

Our future is with the young, and they can prevail, but perhaps not in my lifetime, although I would love to see it.

[KoKo]

102. Yes...but we can "Keep the Faith" also. In ways to support....

I feel confident about that...and feel you do, also. Tough skins....

's

[laundry_queen]

125. +1 nt

[MannyGoldstein]

56. Amazon can't arrest me and throw me in jail forever.

In solitary confinement, if the mood strikes them. Or send me off to exotic foreign lands to be tortured.

Nor can Target, nor Google. (At least until the next insane SCOTUS decision, God forbid!)

That's why I'm not as worried about them having lots of data on me, although I'm not happy about it.

[Kaleva]

70. You have statistically the same probability of being arrested by Amazon as by the NSA

Pretty much about zero.

[KoKo]

88. Jeff Bezos of WaPo New Ownership and Drones to Deliver your Amazon Products.....

In a Heart Beat if you conflicted with his Business.

BIDNESS RULES!

[grahamhgreen]

64. Bullsh*t! Go ahead and post your full name address and phone number right here, then. And while

you're at it, your relatives and associates, debts, and CC numbers.... Medical history, arrest record, college transcripts, and your last 10 years phone bills.

Do that, and maybe I'll believe you.

[MineralMan]

76. No. I won't do that. Nobody on DU has any need for that information.

But I'm not anonymous, nor do I attempt to be. Lots of people have access to all of that information, though. Anyone with $50 can get much of it online. The Social Security Administration and the IRS has most of that information, too. My bank, a non-profit organization I once volunteered for has much of it as well, since they did a thorough background check. My car insurance company has looked at my "arrest record," which is empty, since I have not been arrested. Blue Cross and my medical clinic has all of my medical records. The phone company knows every phone call I make. My cable company can look at my browsing history, and Google can see where I go on the Internet.

But, I'm not going to volunteer any of that information to anyone I don't know. Why would I do that? A lot of it is available to anyone with a little looking, though, and that's not a problem for me. I'm not anonymous. Nobody really is if they're active on the Internet. In most cases, it is a trivial matter to find our who is behind a screen name, even for amateurs. For government agencies, it's even more trivial. The fact is that a lot of people have access to mass quantities of information about me, you, and everyone else here on DU. We give permission for them to have it, even if we don't realize that we've given that permission.

Beyond that, with a court order, any number of government agencies can access it all. If they're interested, of course. Mostly, they're not interested, though. Most people just aren't that interesting, and it costs money to get all that information. I'm active on DU, and so are you. Everything I've posted here is in the DU database, and is easily searched, using Google. Most of that isn't of interest to anyone, really, though. It's all just political discussion. Nobody really cares about public political discussion, because it has no real effect on anything.

We no longer really have much privacy. Mostly because we've given up on having privacy. We've volunteered to allow people to collect information on us. The government has always had a vast store of information on all of us. But, we're uninteresting. We aren't a threat to anything. We go about our lives, pay taxes, own stuff, and are just people who happen to live in the US. Beyond that, we're almost universally boring to the government. The government doesn't care.

But corporations do care, and they know even more information, because they collect it, store it and share it on a daily basis. If you're really concerned about your privacy, that's where your concern should be aimed.

[KoKo]

89. You buy from "E-Bay" correct?

What do you think they know about you? Do you Bank Online...Pay Taxes Online?

Just two examples.

[MineralMan]

98. I buy and sell on eBay.

All of my banking is online and all of my payments are paperless. I started banking online in the late 80s. I ran BBSes in the 80s. I was online before the Internet existed. I made my living writing about computers starting in 1987, and took my first programming classes in 1963. My first website went live in 1992.

This is where I live. This is what I do.

[rug]

107. How were you online before the internet?

Online what?

I was on a line in 1975 but it was at White Castle.

[MineralMan]

109. What?

I was online on GEnie and CompuServe from 1986. I ran a four line BBS as well, complete with email, chat and FIDONET. I had access to arpanet, through a modem link at the university I graduated from.

For the record, my CompuServe I'D was 71571,222. Google that, in quotes, and you can still find traces of me from those days.

The first book I wrote was produced, ready for the printer, using Microsoft Word 1.0 for DOS, using a style sheet I created with its developer tools.

I first went online with a 300 baud modem using acoustic couplers.

Sheesh!

[rug]

111. Were they not connected by the internet?

I'm asking about this statement.

I was online before the Internet existed.

[MineralMan]

112. No. At the time,

GEnie and CompuServe had their own network of dialup nodes. There was no Internet when they began. My BBS system was accessed via four modems, connected to four phone lines at my home. Users dialed in wit their modems. Daily, the system connected to other BBS systems, via modem, to exchange emails and other information via FIDONET.

At the time there was no access to arpanet via phone lines, really, except through dialup connections to severs at universities for the general public. The Internet as we know it did not yet exist. That was soon to change.

[grahamhgreen]

121. At that point, to tap your data over phone lines would have required a warrant.

[MineralMan]

123. That is quite true. Today, there are other methods people use to

acquire data sent over the Internet. Some of those methods are legitimate, while others are not. A sizable percentage of personal computers and other devices connected to the internet have malicious software on them than makes it easy for people to track, intercept, and interfere with data. In other cases, we agree to allow third parties to track our online activities in one way or another. Your ISP, Google, and many other websites do that on a regular basis. Installing Ghostery on your PC is a good way to see who is tracking you when you visit a website.

We allow many third parties to have access to much of what we do on the Internet. Some people use encryption software if they are concerned about the data they transmit. In other cases, our browsers use encryption on secure websites. They provide at least the illusion of security, I suppose.

It is possible for a person to maintain privacy, but it is not easy or convenient to do so. Governmental and corporate organizations accumulate vast stores of information about almost all of us. How alarmed we are about that depends on our individual attitudes about it. For me, the alarm is very minor.

[grahamhgreen]

119. You won't post it because you value your privacy. So do we. Thanks for playing.

[MineralMan]

122. No, I won't post it because there is no need to post it.

If someone needs that information, it's not difficult for them to find. If you use your intellect, you can find the answers to all of those questions in just a few minutes. But, for me to post it on DU would mean that I had taken an actual initiative to provide that information to all comers. Why would I do that? It's not a matte of privacy, because I make such information just a click away for anyone who wishes to know it. It's a matter of it not being important enough to make public.

Some people do attempt anonymity on the Internet. Some are fairly successful. Others may think they are anonymous, but are actually not, with their information available to anyone with half an hour to dig it out. Others, like myself, simply make it easily available to anyone who might be interested.

I don't value my privacy so much any more. I recognize that I have precious little that is private any longer, so I've abandoned any pretense to having privacy. I live my life in a way that makes disclosure of my personal information of no value to anyone who wishes me ill. In 2014, my privacy is a reactive, rather than a proactive thing. If someone decides to use information about me in a malicious or criminal way, there is recourse available.

[grahamhgreen]

139. Post it then. Prove your point.

[Rex]

68. So you've worked for the NSA and feel like an expert on the situation?

First I've heard of this, so when did you work for them?

[DisgustipatedinCA]

72. He can't talk about it, except when he does.

It was in the late 60's, well before his Free Republic years. Hush-hush stuff. Speaking of hush-hush, it's high time that you, me and everyone else shut the hell up about the NSA and their strange methods of keeping us safe. Because Google. See?

[Rex]

73. I mean, maybe he worked in the security field for decades or some such.

But just telling me to 'trust me, I know' and then not even giving anecdotal evidence...well I was born at night...just NOT last night. If someone has first hand knowledge of why the NSA is less evil than Google...I am all ears! Please educate me on how bad Google is and how good and fine the NSA is!

You know I knew a guy once...okay maybe I just heard his name BUT let me tell you all about him!

[MineralMan]

78. Ah, there you are.

I'm glad to see you're keeping current on my activities. It's great to know that people know what I've written here. I see you've also done additional research to find things I've done other than on DU. Very enterprising of you. It's not difficult, though, since I'm not hiding my light under a bushel in any way.

Please proceed...

[DisgustipatedinCA]

97. I make a point of proceeding without your leave.

I hope you enjoy your weekend.

[MineralMan]

99. That's good. You don't need anyone's

permission. I'll watch for your next reply to me.

[MineralMan]

74. Late 1960s. I was in the USAF, and my

last assignment before my enlistment ended was at Ft. George Meade. I worked in the NSA building. Only for about six months. It was interesting work. I've posted about that on several other occasions.

[KoKo]

92. Cool...Well before Internet Revolution and Commercial Use along with Social Use....

So...you think what? You are relating experiences from way before COMPUTERS RULE...and Compiling Data Mathematically was possible to the extent it is today.

Look.....I get what you are saying...but, you aren't up with the TIMES & ABUSE that is going on. You are "Trusting" of a system as you knew it years ago.......We are in different times.

And...I do appreciate your posts...so not trying to diss you...but, think you are just not understanding how far our Government has gone to destroy our privacy and make us vulnerable to incarceration.

[MineralMan]

95. But, I've continued to observe the NSA

ever since. In 2006, when all of this monitoring became known, I followed it even closer. Even in the 60s and 70s, the NSA was opening mail to and from international addresses and monitoring cable an other communications. I've kept up with technology the entire time and have maintained my interest in the intelligence community.


Snowden revealed very little that was new.

[KoKo]

100. But..what you are saying is that "Little was New to You....

and that's where I have problems with your "well reasoned/rational posts" that we aren't living in the times NOW that were THEN.

What you've kept up with isn't how FAR things have gone since you worked in the "industry."

They took "Steps too Far" and that's what Snowden revealed and why it's important enough that Angela Merkle had to negotiate carefully with Obama because the Population in both US and Germany is much more informed and angry about the NSA Spying involved in International relationships and their Populations (particularly the Young) are really almost in revolt. THEY are the ones who know how to Hack and like Snowden they are much more sophisticated than back the days you and I might know about "how things work," since technology has moved so far beyond what many of us in our age group could have imagined.

It's not enough to "TRUST" anymore with what we've seen these days. I hope, on some level, you understand what I am trying to say about how ....it isn't what it was...and the "controls" are not there like what you and I might have grown up with and expected. That crew of watchful/experience has passed on...to the other world...because of age. The Technological Explosion has moved forward faster than the LAWS to keep up with it.

That's what Snowden has tried to expose...is what I am saying.

[MineralMan]

101. You have no idea what I do and do not know.

And that's fine. I know.

[KoKo]

104. If you are still in the Loop...then it's with those who feel Snowden was a Traitor...

Yet there's still another loop of your associates who seem to want change for more transparency.

We can see that in those fighting back against increased Military Spending...NGO's, Democratic Shadow Groups funded who create instability in countries on the NeoLibs Watch List, which are coming under exposure for what they do which isn't really anything but destabilizing countries for the benefit of Private Contractors and Multinational Military Industrial interests....where we sell and they buy and we spend our Tax Dollars on this destabilization.

There are people you may have worked with who think...It's all "A Bridge Too Far." Time for it to end.

[MineralMan]

106. Again, you know little. That's fine.

It doesn't really matter, anyhow.

[KoKo]

118. Snowden revealed information that was new as to how far things had gone

where thousands of Private Contractors "hired by the Government" with little security clearance scrutiny were now accessing all of our informaton...Meta Data.

Yes...we knew Hoover kept files on people "of interest" who came under his watch...and that the FBI and others were probably targeting and that people were being watched.

What Snowden revealed was that ALL OF US are Data Mined and all our information forever is being held in those big security buildings they are building to store it all. So that anytime any of us "crosses a line" then everything about us is NOW being cataloged in a way never seen before because of the sophistication of the technology.

And, thousands of Private Companies are providing the employees who have no loyalty or proper Government Oversite to Data Mine all of us.

That's what Snowden revealed. The massive surveillance and collection of Everything on Everyone. That's far different from the capabilities in the 60's/70's/80's where one was a Government Employee and not just some whiz kid off the street that Booz-Allen or other Private Companies could provide to monitor us. Thousands of Private Contractors hired with little to no oversite is very different from your role in the Military when you served. That's what is wrong and why what Snowden revealed is so important because it's all out of control.

You served admirably because you were accountable to the Government through the Military. These people now are "Private Contractors" who can sell info to friends, politicians, police or anyone they want to....because they are not accountable. Snowden did the honorable thing (as a Private Contractor) and showed how flawed the system is if he as a young 20 Something could have acces to amass so many files and spirit them out to expose the truth to people...THEN what about the others out there who could be profiting off the same info he had and using it to harm the US and it's Citizens.

He is a White Hat...but, what about the Black Hats?

[Blue_Tires]

79. I've posted that recent WaPo analysis on Google 7 or 8 times now

and never got a even a nibble...

I stopped trying to make sense of DU a long time ago...

[Skidmore]

80. Thanks for this because I feel this way too.

We are surveilled seven ways to Sunday by corporations and banks which, by the way, seem to have all sorts of problems with security on their data systems. I worry more about them right now and I fail to see how, if the corporation own the government as is the convention wisdom here, what the outrage becomes. My outrage is focused on the laws that allow corporate interests and their owners to buy legislators wholesale. Change the legislator, change the laws.

[GeorgeGist]

81. NSA isn't trying to sell me anything.

[KoKo]

91. No...they are just Watching what you BUY...where You GO (if you are on Facebook) and have

Cell Phone, GPS in your car because you hate pulling out a Map.

They monitor every website you go to and if you "participate" they know that you have revealed a Profile and what you care about in the GROUPS you belong to from "Yahoo to DU to KOS to Checking out which Product to Buy if you are on Google or Bing.

Amazon....Checks your Book and Product Purchases..

EVERYWHERE YOU GO they DO A PROFILE OF YOU! Snowden revealed this.......!

[Xolodno]

84. *fwap* *fwap* *fwap* *fwap* *fwap* *fwap* *fwap* ...wait!!! what did he say?

*clicks x on porn site*

I feel violated.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

96. If you used Internet Explorer

it was apparently pretty easy to do

[Agnosticsherbet]

103. Yes, privacy is an obsolete idea.

and those who have the most to gain from constant spying are constrained only by greed.

[RobertEarl]

124. Your application of density is educational

Yahho, your bank and ebay don't share your info with each other, but they do share it with the NSA. They've admitted as much, already.

Yahho your bank and ebay can't keep you off a plane, garnish your wages or send the cops to your door. But the NSA can.

[MineralMan]

126. 'Yahho?' What does that mean?

Anyhow, my bank and eBay share information with each other, in fact. PayPal is part of eBay. Paypal has access to one of my checking accounts. My bank also shares information with credit bureaus. There's lots of sharing going on, much of which you are apparently not aware of. If I want to use their services, I must agree to that sharing.

My bank also shares information with the IRS. So do the people with whom I contract for my services. I get 1099s from them, which are also sent to the IRS. The IRS shares information with the Social Security Administration, which has a complete record of all income I've earned since 1962, when I got my first paycheck. The NSA? I don't know if my bank shares information with the NSA. I doubt that very much, although the FBI can certainly get an order to view my bank records. The NSA doesn't usually interest itself in the bank records of US Citizens, unless there are transactions with foreign entities that are under investigation.

As far as I know, the NSA also doesn't administer the Department of Homeland Security, which handles the no-fly list. I suppose that if my communications outside of the United States were connected to some terrorist organization, that information might find its way to the DHS, via the NSA, but I don't have any such communications.

Not every government agency is the NSA. The NSA is not the government. It is just one agency of the US Government, and it has a pretty narrow set of rules about how it behaves. I'm not much concerned about the NSA, frankly, in my own life. I'm far more concerned with the IRS, which is why I'm very careful to pay all taxes I owe.

Based on your post, I'm not sure how much you know about how this all works. You might want to do a little more research, to make sure you have your information right.

[RobertEarl]

127. Heh

You may be the only person not worried that there is one part of the government that wants to know everything about everybody.

Problem is if the nazis ever gain power again they will use that body of knowledge to take out their enemies.

Or an anti-Snowden like contractor gets hold of that info and uses it to beat the 'competition' in business or politics.

The possibilities are endless.

Your density is not amusing.

[MineralMan]

129. I'm not trying to amuse.

That you think I am, however, is amusing.

[RobertEarl]

130. What are you doing?

Seems you are saying forget history and bad people in the government and just let them do whatever they want.

You may be the last person not worried that there is one part of the government that wants to know everything about everybody.

Problem is if the nazis ever gain power again they will use that body of knowledge to take out their enemies.

Or an anti-Snowden like contractor gets hold of that info and uses it to beat the 'competition' in business or politics.

The possibilities are endless.

[MineralMan]

132. The "nazis?" Really?

We have some of those in the United States, of course. They're morons that are laughed at by everyone.

Who are you talking about? I think you're worried a little bit too much right now. Me? I'm worried that the Republicans will regain control of both houses of Congress. But I'm doing something about that and trying to convince others to get active in doing the same things. I'm not worried about "nazis." I'm trying to get Democrats elected to legislative positions in Congress and state legislatures.

I don't have time to worry about "nazis."

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

128. Shrug.

You say 'the wrong people'. I say them AND all the others you mention.

The keeping of records with identifiers as to who bought what where should always be an 'opt-in' process. you should always have to affirmatively tell companies which of your information they can use, and how much they can keep or store or sell. And it shouldn't be buried in end licenses or user agreements. It should be a series of toggles on your account that you can change at any time.

That doesn't absolve the NSA or any other LEO organization, though. And frankly, amazon and others only have a limited window in which to spy on you. They can't tie together everything you do. And you only 'give them permission' now because you don't really have the kinds of choices I list above.

So you go ahead and care or not care if the government spies upon you. I know enough history to know it's a bad idea.

[MineralMan]

131. But it is not an opt-in process.

I agree that it should be, but it is not. It's in there in the various privacy statements and terms of service statements, but nobody ever reads those. Nobody. Ever.

The option is to not use those services at all. Most people don't take that option. They opt to use the services, which is, in a way, an opt-in situation.

As for the government, it has always known the important stuff about you. These days, it also knows a bunch of unimportant stuff about you, too. It doesn't really use that information, because it doesn't really care. It gathers it, and uses it only when it intersects with other information. What that other information might be changes from time to time. Generally, though, it has to do with your interactions with others, especially if those others are criminals or foreigners connected with anti-US activities in some way.

For our typical political activities, unless we are people who are prominent, nobody really cares. They don't care, because most political activities aren't really that effective. Especially things like discussing politics in public forums on the Internet. It's just not that interesting, really, to government agencies. If they want to, they can collect everything posted on a place like DU. That information is in an open database that can be searched by anyone who cares to. Is it searched and data stored by government agencies? I do not know, but I doubt it very much.

What is watched and data kept about are things like the moron militia that showed up in Nevada. Those folks are of interest to various government agencies, and information is gathered about them. DUers? Not so much. We aren't really interesting. All we do is discuss stuff. Mostly, we don't act on anything much. We vote, of course. But that's about it, in general.

[gulliver]

135. The poignant side of Snowden worship deserves some mention.

A lot of people probably "wish" that the NSA were interested in them. They find the idea that the government doesn't give a shit about them more intolerable than the idea that it does. So they accept that the NSA is watching their every move, because that is what they prefer to believe. A lot of Snowden worshipers are Eleanor Rigby.

[MineralMan]

136. Well, I don't know about that.

A lot of people seem to think that the NSA is interested in them, though. With 300 million something folks living in the US, though, that seems pretty unlikely. What interests the NSA is different from what goes on on DU, I'm sure, and the people the NSA are interested in are not the same people who frequent DU.