U.S., company officials: Internet surveillance does not indiscriminately mine data

[alp227]

Source: Washington Post

The director of national intelligence on Saturday stepped up his public defense of a top-secret government data surveillance program as technology companies began privately explaining the mechanics of its use.

The program, code-named PRISM, has enabled national security officials to collect e-mail, videos, documents and other material from at least nine U.S. companies over six years, including Google, Microsoft and Apple, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.

The disclosures about PRISM have renewed a national debate about the surveillance systems that sprang up after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, how broad those systems might be and the extent of their reach into American lives.

In a statement issued Saturday, Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. described PRISM as “an internal government computer system used to facilitate the government’s statutorily authorized collection of foreign intelligence information from electronic communication service providers under court supervision.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-company-officials-internet-surveillance-does-not-indiscriminately-mine-data/2013/06/08/5b3bb234-d07d-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_singlePage.html

[dkf]

1. The big question isn't how they use the data, ie mine it, but what are they scooping up.

[woo me with science]

4. Exactly. The COLLECTION/STORAGE is the infrastructure for fascism.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022969195#post33

It creates an entire infrastructure that could be used to preemptively target any citizen the government has a problem with, for any reason. They are creating a database on every single citizen's movements and activities. Those who don't see the danger in that are either rank apologists, or they have not thought through the possibilities.

Citizen 1,675,402 begins to look a little too angry or activist, or they pose a threat to a secret or a planned piece of legislation, and it will be no trouble at all to comb through their data and find some reason, somewhere, to call the local officers to check out some violation from 2013. To arrest, or have someone quietly detained or disappeared.

It provides the means for real-time monitoring and pre-emptive silencing of any opposition to the government, even before it has a chance to materialize.

We saw already what the government did to proactively target Occupy. This surveillance program savagely violates the fundamental trust Americans are supposed to have in their representative government. It is deeply disturbing, creepy as hell, and ALL Americans should be standing together now to stop it.

Please see this important post by TakeaLeftTurn:

"The Mass Surveillance program is to protect the government FROM the people."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022962685

[dkf]

5. Wow I missed that link. It scares the bejeebers out of me since I am critical of govt.

Is it now a problem to expect government to work properly and to be a watchdog?

I mean I wish it all worked properly, but its really showing problems lately. Do I need to be more of a get along type to stay out of trouble? Ugh.

[delrem]

7. But *that* they are using it, is true.

Perhaps in the future this will all be call "social engineering", and it will be regulated. But under the terms of the WoT begun by W., there is no regulation whatsoever.

[OnyxCollie]

2. It doesn't pick people at random.

No shit.

But like signature drone strikes, it uses patterns to target people. What those patterns are, the administration won't even tell Congress in secret.

[leveymg]

10. It's called profiling software, and its the heart of PRISM like Thin Thread before it.

Unfortunately for anyone who used phones and email, everyone who does is being profiled as a potential terrorist by NSA.

Think about that.

[GoneFishin]

3. This is supposed to be better somehow?

"... does not indiscriminately mine ... "

This changes nothing.

[jtuck004]

6. I'm glad they're not just scooping up everything. That's da bomb. n/t

[Arctic Dave]

11. Exactly. It's not willy nilly, its EVERYTHING.

If everyone is treated as a criminal then they can justify it as no "profiling".

[snot]

8. Give me a f*king break.

They've been pre-emptively rounding up peaceful protestors for years. Assange et al. have been warning of this for years.

[blkmusclmachine]

9. TRUST US. We're not lying. Not this time. Really.

Feel safe?