I spotted this headline just now whilst skimming through the unread slashdot posts in my Bazsqux reader. I don't think this is "new" news, but the brilliant suggestion to help the NSA at the end of this was something I hadn't seen before:
US Secret Service Wants To Identify Snark
(Copied below sans embedded hyperlinks/images.)

Unknown Lamer posted about two weeks ago | from the bound-for-success dept.
Privacy 213

beschra (1424727) writes
"From the article: 'The U.S. Secret Service is seeking software that can identify top influencers and trending sets of social media data, allowing the agency to monitor these streams in real-time — and sift through the sarcasm. "We are not currently aware of any automated technology that could do that (detect sarcasm). No one is considered a leader in that,'" Jamie Martin, a data acquisition engineer at Sioux Falls, SD based Bright Planet, told CBS News.'

Why not just force Twitter to change TOS to require sarcasm tag?"

Oh wait...that's sarcasm innit?

^^ Can surveillance be addictive? I hadn't known that.
To be snagged by something addictive - like a drug - one generally needs to have some susceptibility to it, a sort of innate natural dependency - e.g., smoking cigarettes, or alcoholism. Maybe there is something within us - a natural proclivity - to spy upon others. Maybe it is a survival thing - I mean, if one is spying upon others - potential enemies/competitors - then they can't be spying on oneself, and one knows more about them than they know about oneself, so one might have some kind of "powerful" feeling about it. Or maybe it's a form of voyeurism.
The nosy "twitching curtains" syndrome in small communities comes to mind.

No one is a villain in their own story.  That's just human nature.  Those that are behind PRISM and other initiatives think they're doing the right thing.  And I think that's the addictive part of it... the more you see, the more you think you need to see.

Someday, ^this should be a famous quote.

Very droll: Congressman asks NSA to provide metadata for “lost” IRS e-mails | Ars Technica

Surveillance technology use is more addictive than crack AFAICT.

One reason why I never participated in any project that involved monitoring people was because I have seen what this technology does to the people who use it.
(see attachment in previous post)

Do you feel the same about home surveillance of your own pad?

Quote from: 40hz on June 14, 2014, 06:31 PM

Surveillance technology use is more addictive than crack AFAICT.

One reason why I never participated in any project that involved monitoring people was because I have seen what this technology does to the people who use it.
(see attachment in previous post)

Do you feel the same about home surveillance of your own pad?

Yes I do. Even with pets at home and me being out a lot.

It's not completely rational I know. But I'm sort of where Mark Twain was when he told his doctor he couldn't moderate his smoking or drinking habits. Twain said while he could give up a bad habit completely, he didn't think he could moderate one indefinitely.

Probably I could. Maybe I couldn't. But why even go there to begin with?

Lead us not into temptation...and all that.  

Like a certain lady said: "I will diminish, and go into the West and remain Galadriel."

Very droll: Congressman asks NSA to provide metadata for “lost” IRS e-mails | Ars Technica

tl;dr - The dog ate my homework.

Surveillance technology use is more addictive than crack AFAICT.

One reason why I never participated in any project that involved monitoring people was because I have seen what this technology does to the people who use it.
(see attachment in previous post)

Not that I follow any kind of literary critiques on Tolkien, but I've heard Jeff Berwick bring up The Lord of the Rings a few times. He's commented that Tolkien was an anarchist (this is true) and that the trilogy in part is a metaphor for state power.

In a lot of ways that makes sense. The 1 ring:

One ring to rule them all, <--- about power over others
One ring to find them,
One ring to bring them all,
And in the darkness bind them. <--- the downward spiral

I figure that the ring is also an allusion to Glaucon's ring.

Your choice of the 1 ring there as an illustration is poignant. The corrupting influences of power, the ever increasing desire, lust, cravings... and the downward spiral that ensues.

I think General Keith "Golem" Alexander probably understands this. At least from a different perspective. "Utah, my precious!"

Interesting...

Scott Adams Blog: The Religion War Predictions 07/02/2014
...In the book I imagined that the government would combat terrorism by strictly limiting digital communications. If someone is not on your approved list you can't call, text, or email with them. If you want to add someone to your list, there's a bureaucratic process to do that. That part of the prediction is unlikely to happen because the NSA can monitor every form of communication, and that's a more effective solution. I didn't see that coming. But I'll take partial credit for predicting that the government wouldn't allow unfettered private conversations over networks in the future.

Quote from: PabloSaulw on July 05, 2014, 05:10 AM

^^ Can surveillance be addictive? I hadn't known that.

I think it's probably more along the lines of being addicted to power, and surveillance just being a tool of power.

And then a little splash of voyeurism to boot!

In my sillier moments I think it would be hysterical to make an NSA simulator game! : )

Quote from: Renegade on July 06, 2014, 06:46 AM

Quote from: PabloSaulw on July 05, 2014, 05:10 AM

^^ Can surveillance be addictive? I hadn't known that.

I think it's probably more along the lines of being addicted to power, and surveillance just being a tool of power.

And then a little splash of voyeurism to boot!

Or perhaps you have quoted someone addicted to forum spamming, who had nothing of real value to add to this conversation.

I think I missed something here...

The post that they are referring to has been removed, because it was a spammer.

That post actually wasn't spam. It was a valid response. I only quoted a bit. Perhaps he spammed elsewhere - I didn't see that.

In case anyone missed this:

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/07/14/manipulating-online-polls-ways-british-spies-seek-control-internet/

Hacking Online Polls and Other Ways British Spies Seek to Control the Internet

Lots there.

But have a look at this one:

• “Ability to spoof any email address and send email under that identity” (CHANGELING)

This is particularly worrying.

Spoofing email is pretty easy, but I don't think they're talking about that. These guys are GOOD at what they do. My gut tells me that this is throwing in spoofing IP addresses to hijack traffic routing. That's a pretty damn bad thing... Combined with their other capabilities, this is pretty terrifying.