VIDEO- NSA Spying and FISA- Detecting through Telecomm switches

[liveoaktx]

Why the bill pushed by Republicans is a STEP 2

I heard this today while listening to a Presidential Powers forum and it illustrates, while I do not agree with Mr. McBride's attitude about privacy, what the issue really is at heart. The NSA is using telecomm switches to collect all calls-it's electronically done at that point until the program, through keywords or whatever, culls out potential problems. It DOES include, at one end, someone in the United States calling overseas becase there isn't a technical way to separate out those types of calls. AFTER someone looks at whatever calls "pop up" from this mass of information, the NSA would, under Dewine's bill, be able to spy without a warrant on that person. But, think, they have ALREADY SPIED by virtue of collecting this information.

The questions, I think, ought to be. Should the NSA be able to collect information through telecomm switches? If they do, shouldn't every single telecomm company warn its customers that they can expect no privacy on their calls, in writing. What happens to all this data that is collected, is it ammassed and archived for years? WE know that the data is shared (for example, with the FBI)-what data is it, all the data or only those people who have popped up as threats? Do we WANT the NSA to collect this info? And finally, a technical question-as Mr McBride says, it used to be that this wasn't an issue, becuase the NSA detected overseas calls via satellite but now the infrastructure is cables in the US. Should the fact that we use THAT technology trump privacy rights?

[MnFats]

1. I find it utterly depressing that Congress did not SLAM the door on this s

s***. Bush can do whatever he wants and face no consequences. That something so CLEARLY unconstitutional can be countenanced in this country leaves me just enraged.

[liveoaktx]

2. The point I'm trying to make is their illegal bill is the SECOND FLOOR

The issue, in my opinion, needs to be, EVEN IF Dewine doesn't do that bill, do we still want the NSA to collect information through telecomm switches on all of us? The way this is all being set up now is that the NSA would have to, AFTER collecting the info, get a warrant (in the approved way) to spy on a specific individual. In DeWine's way, of course, the NSA would be able to spy for 45 days on a particular person without a warrant and then would have to tell Congress, not a court, what they were doing-then IF Congress thought it was a problem, they MIGHT kick it to a court.

But BEFORE ALL THAT, either of those proposals does not address the issue of COLLECTION in the first place.

[file83]

3. Back in 1999, a friend of mine worked for Qwest communications

in Phoenix. Long story short, his supervisor showed him HUGE fiber optic line bundles coming out of the switches that his supervisor told him were "government related". He asked his supervisor if they were data/phone lines, and he responded, "one way feeds". Ever since then, I've known that EVERYTHING is being recorded. Everything.

True story as it was told to me. The friend that told me didn't think it was that big of a deal. He totally trusts the government, and the way he told me the story, I could tell he thought it was "cool". It made him feel important.

What I didn't tell him is was how shocked I was.

[liveoaktx]

4. Yes, and one of the things said by Mr McBride is that it isn't just the

NSA collecting this info. Who else?

I am of the opinion that technology must be our servants, rather than us serving it as a concept. If the telecomm situation is such that, as an excuse, the NSA MUST collect all info because of the way the switches are designed, but it didn't use to be that way, then there ought to be a push to change the routing so that domestic calls are protected from being collected.

[file83]

5. The other aspect of this guys sentiments that disturb me is the idea

that he thinks it's fair to compare physical entry in to the U.S. to telecommunications that come into the U.S.

The reason that is dangerous is that then what's to stop them from intercepting ALL calls that go outside of the country?

Furthermore, with this kind of draconian system of data gathering, if you make/receive a phone call from over sees, hang up, and THEN make a domestic call, does that give them the authority/right to intercept that domestic call? Afterall, maybe you are just 'passing along' information (which they obviously think is suspect).

Another scary aspect is the internet. If someone from Pakistan or "Tora Bora" posts data on the DU, and then I access that post, does that mean that they have the authority to wiretap any domestic phone calls I make afterwards?

The slope becomes slippery VERY FAST, and that's why I'm completely against this rationale in support of warrentless wiretaps.

[harpo]

6. this is one of those things they are not allowed to disclose...because

they are a bunch of LAME ASSES...unlike Google who FAUGHT the fascists!