Google (et al) = an arm of the NSA/Pentagon

[kpete]

Looking back on the NSA revelations, starting with the PRISM program, I’ve found a lot of slide-analysis that makes a number of good points.

But one slide keeps jumping out at me — very much a not-in-the-weeds slide, which makes a not-in-the-weeds point.

It’s this one. See if you can figure out why I think it’s remarkable. And see if you can guess where this discussion is going.

Remember, NSA = the Pentagon. It’s not some free-floating agency within the Executive Branch (like the staff of the National Security Advisor or something). It’s the Pentagon pure and simple, the military.





The part I find remarkable about all these slides is the header. Every PRISM slide has this at the top:



So when this X-Keyscore slide appears …



… with this text description …

XKeyscore, the documents boast, is the NSA’s “widest reaching” system developing intelligence from computer networks – what the agency calls Digital Network Intelligence (DNI). One presentation claims the program covers “nearly everything a typical user does on the internet”, including the content of emails, websites visited and searches, as well as their metadata. …

The purpose of XKeyscore is to allow analysts to search the metadata as well as the content of emails and other internet activity, such as browser history, even when there is no known email account (a “selector” in NSA parlance) associated with the individual being targeted.

… the source of the data being queried has to be the information collected and stored by these companies (once more, for your viewing pleasure):



MORE:
http://americablog.com/2013/08/is-google-arm-of-nsa.html

[leveymg]

1. Can't the same be said about MS, Facebook, AOL, Skype, etc.?

I recognize the extreme value of Google data to NSA and the other agencies, but it's hardly unique in that respect. Why do you single out this particular data provider?

[markiv]

2. he said ''google et al'

latin for 'and others'

fair enough, when google has such a dominent share of users