The Next Step In The NSA Mess

[ThomWV]

All of the discussion of NSA spying centers around a system that passively notes those communications which pass it by. That is a much different matter than a system that actively seeks out your conversations, like a microphone in a wall would.

It is one thing to put a recording device on the sidewalk and hear what you and your neighbors are chatting about, it is a very different thing to focus a high-tech listening device on your living room to see what you and you neighbor are discussing over coffee.

I think we have only seen half of this rotten apple, and the half we haven't seen yet is the really scary part.

Then there is the question of how broad the scope of this eavesdropping is as well. Certainly it doesn't stop at land line phones, certainly it doesn't stop at cell phones, certainly it doesn't stop at E-Mail, certainly it doesn't stop at banking records, certainly it doesn't stop at health records, certainly it doesn't stop at credit card use patterns, certainly it doesn't stop at correlation of every bit of information law enforcement has on record on every one who has ever so much as had a driver's license. Where does it stop?

[havocmom]

1. Remember movie: Enemy of the State?

Life imitates art or art imitates life?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060513/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/spies_eyes_3

WASHINGTON - A little-known spy agency that analyzes imagery taken from the skies has been spending significantly more time watching U.S. soil.

...

Spy agencies historically avoided domestic operations out of concern for
Pentagon regulations and Reagan-era executive order, known as 12333, that restricted intelligence collection on American citizens and companies. Its budget, like all intelligence agencies, is classified.

On Clapper's watch of the last five years, his agency has found ways to expand its mission to help prepare security at Super Bowls and political conventions or deal with natural disasters, such as hurricanes and forest fires.

With help, the agency can also zoom in. Its officials cooperate with private groups, such as hotel security, to get access to footage of a lobby or ballroom. That video can then be linked with mapping and graphical data to help secure events or take action, if a hostage situation or other catastrophe happens.

Gee, in the last five years, this secret agency has found excuses to get around limits on domestic spying. All that's missing is the phrase '..do it for the children'

In the last five years more use of super secret state of the art optics and computers merged to spy on America. Hmmm, what else has been different about the last five years? Let's call on Dick and see if he has the answer.