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cali

(114,904 posts)
Fri Aug 16, 2013, 09:51 AM Aug 2013

Let's Give Every NSA Employee an Anonymous Whistleblowing Opportunity

What if every NSA employee and contractor was required, once a year, to fill out an anonymous civil-liberties survey? The anonymity of respondents would be persuasively guaranteed, and a multiple-choice format would prevent disclosing any classified information.

Answering would be as easy as putting a No. 2 pencil to an answer sheet.

1. The NSA targets the communications of American citizens
a) often
b) sometimes
c) rarely
d) never

2. In the last year I have witnessed Fourth Amendment violations
a) 0 times
b) 1 to 5 times
c) 5 to 10 times
d) 10 to 100 times
e) more than 100 times

3. Civil-liberties protections used by the NSA are
a) foolproof
b) more than adequate
c) only sometimes effective
d) totally ineffective

4. Congressional oversight of the NSA is
a) if anything too onerous
b) just right
c) inadequate
d) failing to stop serious abuses
e) Congress isn't even aware of serious abuses

<snip>

There may be much better questions than these (in fact, I'd be grateful if readers and other journalists helped to formulate some of them), but you get the idea. Every NSA employee would pledge to give honest answers, then fill out the anonymous survey. The results would be tallied by an independent party and made public. Sure, abuses could easily go undetected by this method, but folks who wanted to speak out could. Want to empower whistleblowers to tip off the public to abuses without risking an Edward Snowden-style leak? This approach is for you!


<snip>

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/08/lets-give-every-nsa-employee-an-anonymous-whistleblowing-opportunity/278700/

5 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Let's Give Every NSA Employee an Anonymous Whistleblowing Opportunity (Original Post) cali Aug 2013 OP
Is this silly? A good idea? cali Aug 2013 #1
That could give some confidence in the agencies hootinholler Aug 2013 #2
You know everyone at NSA works on different things? jmowreader Aug 2013 #3
Alas, the results would be kept secret as threatening "National Security". Tierra_y_Libertad Aug 2013 #4
The only solution is the complete elimination of the NSA Blue_Tires Aug 2013 #5
 

cali

(114,904 posts)
1. Is this silly? A good idea?
Fri Aug 16, 2013, 10:08 AM
Aug 2013

My first reaction was to giggle, but I actually think this isn't a bad idea.

hootinholler

(26,449 posts)
2. That could give some confidence in the agencies
Fri Aug 16, 2013, 10:31 AM
Aug 2013

Why limit it to the NSA?

I can see it being gamed by management, so there would need to be a way to ensure it's truly anonymous.

As an idea, I kind of like it.

jmowreader

(50,557 posts)
3. You know everyone at NSA works on different things?
Fri Aug 16, 2013, 02:26 PM
Aug 2013

If you work Cuban naval printer pushes (NSA guys get this) or Taliban morse pushes, you would answer this far differently than someone working narcotics traffic or Prism.

 

Tierra_y_Libertad

(50,414 posts)
4. Alas, the results would be kept secret as threatening "National Security".
Fri Aug 16, 2013, 02:30 PM
Aug 2013

So, it would take a whistle blower (traitor, pole dancing aficionado, loner, etc) to reveal them.

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