Main Area and Open Discussion > Living Room
Worth Reading: Trevor Pott's editorial on NSA PRISM and its real ramifications
wraith808:
Accused bank robber wants NSA phone records for his defense
And so it begins...
CWuestefeld:
Does your definition of "private sector" also include those companies that are contracted by
-app103 (June 14, 2013, 08:01 PM)
--- End quote ---
No. The fact that they're acting as agents of the government makes them an extension of it. (Fake corporate shields shouldn't allow private companies to hide from view, nor should the government be allowed to hide that way either.)
40hz:
in the private sector it's pretty much impossible to put together a database as comprehensive as what the government can gather by force
-CWuestefeld (June 14, 2013, 07:52 PM)
--- End quote ---
True. But the private sector (insurance, credit reporting, medical, telcom, etc.) can freely collect personal information that it would (technically) require a court order for our government to gather - assuming government even had any legal authority to collect it to begin with.
So one insidious manifestation of our surveillance state is that the government to allows the private sector to do the heavy lifting and routinely abuse our privacy. Which is why there's so much reluctance to provide any comprehensive privacy protections under law. The fact you don't have much privacy in the ironically named "private sector" is a goldmine for government snoops. Which is why (I believe) there never will be any meaningful privacy legislation passed on the federal level in this country.
Consider, Uncle Sam can't demand to know where you're spending your cash. And if he does you can always refuse to answer. But your credit card company and bank are very accommodating when Uncle comes calling and asking for information. And subpoenaing phone and credit records has been a routine part of police procedure for the last thirty years.
PRISM is the most egregious attempt on the part of our government to spy on its own citizens. But it's really only an additional and highly centralized version of something that's been going on with increasing intrusiveness in the USA since the start of the Cold War.
I think the main reason why PRISM finally was created was purely for efficiency. And because certain elements in our government are now firmly convinced that most Americans no longer care and have concluded they can finally get away with it.
And if they get away with it - or simply stonewall and hope the public will not be able to remain focused on the threat PRISM represents long enough - then we're all screwed.
Right now I'm waiting for a 'distraction' to be introduced. :huh:
Maybe a major US military action in some other part of the world (like Syria)...or some crisis escalation with a major power like China. It worked for the Bush administration when our deployment into Iraq got everybody's mind off the Enron fiasco. Waving the flag is hard work. Especially when saying good-bye to loved ones who may not be coming back.
A similar 'distraction' could work the trick for this administration too. Right now my money is on Syria. :-\
TaoPhoenix:
Accused bank robber wants NSA phone records for his defense
And so it begins...
-wraith808 (June 14, 2013, 08:21 PM)
--- End quote ---
Well it had already begun ...
This is just where it starts to get really really funny!
It's a brilliant defense! Especially if in fact he is innocent! (Wouldn't he be able to get them from the telco first - then purposely ask the NSA for their copy?)
IainB:
Accused bank robber wants NSA phone records for his defense
And so it begins...
-wraith808 (June 14, 2013, 08:21 PM)
--- End quote ---
That is priceless.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version