The 'Snowden Effect': U.S. spies say militants change tactics
Source: Reuters
Intelligence agencies have detected that members of targeted militant organizations, including both Sunni and Shi'ite Islamist groups, have begun altering communications patterns in what was believed to be a direct response to details on eavesdropping leaked by the former U.S. spy agency contractor, two U.S. national security sources said.
The officials said it was too early to tell whether the recent changes in communications methods had caused a loss of critical intelligence or if there was now a greater risk of missing warning signs about future attacks. "You don't know what you lose until after you've lost it," one of the sources said.
...
The charge that Snowden's leaks are causing damage, made by officials speaking on condition of anonymity, comes as the Obama administration mounts a campaign to pressure Russia to extradite him. Russian president Vladimir Putin on Tuesday confirmed Snowden was in the transit area of a Moscow airport, but ruled out handing him to Washington.
...
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/snowden-effect-u-spies-militants-013034065.html
Tell me again how Snowden is a hero, and this isn't espionage.
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cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
nineteen50
(1,187 posts)not a thought in her head that was not a slogan, and there was no imbecility, absolutely none, that she was not capable of swallowing if the Party handed it out to her." 1984
BehindTheCurtain76
(112 posts)Who believes the crap this government ever says...they want us dependent on them and in fear. Yo...geniuses...terrorists already assumed their communications were being tapped...its lawyers, judges, politicians and journalists in the USA that will be ating differently so the government or it's corporate proxies can't blackmail them with crap they read or listened to. Look up Russ Tice...I hope DUers aren't falling for this garbage.
Psephos
(8,032 posts)fasttense
(17,301 posts)Like all that spying had any effect on stopping the Boston bomber.
NSA is complaining because innocent Americans are changing their communication methods.
drynberg
(1,648 posts)Your words were right on, just as I was feeling at the reading of the top OP. Please!
kardonb
(777 posts)NO WAY , the guy is a despicable traitor , playing right into the hands of our enemies . Putin will wring him dry , and then drop him like a hot potato .
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
cpwm17
(3,829 posts)Last edited Wed Jun 26, 2013, 10:50 AM - Edit history (1)
These terrorists that Washington DC is allegedly trying to protect us from were provoked by Washington DC in the first place.
This is a pretty good scam: behave as the world'$ bully, and then when the predictable response happens, Washington DC then claims they need to spend trillion$ in more world-wide bullying and in a $py operation against the American people – all paid for by the American people.
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
spicegal
(758 posts)him hero status or protector of the Constitution for what he's done. Can't imagine the impact on our national security if other two bit hackers like Snowden with various levels of security clearance decided it was okay to leak highly classified information to the media. This program was being conducted legally with congressional oversight and FISA approval. Apparently, a lot of people don't understand how intelligence and classified information works. So, what else would you like him to leak to our enemies regarding our methods, and why wouldn't it then be okay for others to follow suite?
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
rtracey
(2,062 posts)He didn't protect the constitution, he actually broke it...."The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Snowden, Manning, and Assange broke the 4th amendment when they "seized" the information from the NSA,and other computers from the government. Yes it was already seized, but they took what was not theirs without consent. It would be like robbing the robber, its still a crime on both ends. If Snowden, et al. are not labeled as traitors, they can get them for stealing private property.....
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
rtracey
(2,062 posts)I never said I wasn't pissed at the fact that the government is spying... When the Patriot act was passed, that was the Congress saying to the American people..... we may now step on your 4th amendment rights..... but in the reverse, don't yell at the robber, then praise the robber's robber.......
Thorandmjolnir
(392 posts)An individual cannot "break" the Constitution. The Constitution is a set of rules setting out what the Government can and cannot do. In other words Snowden, Manning and Assange cannot break the 4th Amendment. And most certainly not Assange as he is not a US citizen and therefore not beholden to US law.
rtracey
(2,062 posts)thank you for that clarification, but it still does not change my point....
I love weed
(50 posts)You get a Gold Star for Good Citizenship! Truly are you an exemplary representative of the Sheeple!
OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)and all the terrorists grew gills?
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)
Turbineguy
(37,332 posts)He told us something we already knew and told our enemies something they didn't know.
nineteen50
(1,187 posts)become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious."
railsback
(1,881 posts)Now you're supposed to be attacked for 'hating our freedoms'.
frylock
(34,825 posts)china? Russia?
Turbineguy
(37,332 posts)Everybody knows that.
usGovOwesUs3Trillion
(2,022 posts)We knew, they didn't?
cthulu2016
(10,960 posts)
SamKnause
(13,107 posts)I support Snowden, Wikileaks, Julian Assange, Glenn Greenwald, and Baltasar Garzon.
I agree with Daniel Ellsberg on this matter and previous whistleblowers and leakers that have spoken out about this matter.
Why would I trust the intelligence agencies that have outsourced our security to private corporations ?
Why would I trust the intelligence agencies and private corporations that continually lie to rape the wealth of this country from its citizens ?
Why would I trust a government that operates in total secrecy and lies continually ?
All branches of government in the U.S. are corrupt beyond repair.
I support the leaker, whistleblower, commie, traitor, spy, or whatever smears are used to describe Edward Snowden.
I prefer to call him a true patriot and very brave young man.
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
Amonester
(11,541 posts)'They' prolly know where you live by now.
Or 'they' don't care.
Agent Mike 
SamKnause
(13,107 posts)Everything I support can get me on the terrorist watch list.
I am anti war
Anti drone assassinations
Pro environment
Anti Citizens United
Anti Patriot Act
Anti Homeland Security
Pro marijuana
Anti corrupt government
Pro choice
Pro union
Anti police brutality
Pro free speech
Anti free speech zones
Pro Occupy Wall Street
Pro equal rights for all citizens
I will not change my thoughts, or blogs out of fear.
If they want me, they know where to find me.
Don't forget, they know where to find you to. 
Stay safe agent Mike.
Amonester
(11,541 posts)I suspected 'they' knew where to find me since I started posting on the web, but I had confirmation after bu$h stole it again.
I also support most issues in this list, and I am safe since I never plot, plotted, nor do I ever intend to ever plot of blowing anything up (I hate all explosives, even the smallest pétards, and I also hate all things related to guns, so I don't have any, nor do I ever intend to even just 'touch' one).
I always admired Gandhi's productive methods of peaceful non-violence so if they want to get me, I'll get them back in the long run with hunger strikes or I'll just fail and die at their hands, knowing that their effin lives will be shortened by the dire consequences of climate change.
Go eff yurself, Agent Mike.
Sam , I suggest you move out of this country you don't trust . Good luck on the way to finding a " better " place to live .
crim son
(27,464 posts)Not trusting the government is not the same as hating this country which was founded in large part on the peoples' right to question their government.
DisgustipatedinCA
(12,530 posts)
Democracyinkind
(4,015 posts)Freeperland seems better suited for you
bhikkhu
(10,718 posts)That's the part of the whole conversation that I really have a problem with.
My family has a long history in the US military, and there is some well-deserved pride at the things that have been accomplished and the sacrifices over the years. So, while I was never in favor of the Iraq war, overall I think our military has been a stabilizing force and supported peace globally. Most of the people who are in the military are there because they believe in the constitution, and they believe their sacrifices are worthwhile and good. That's a pretty big part of the government.
Other big parts of the government - our education system. Sure, it is struggling and things haven't gotten easier, but the majority of people in this world I respect the most are the teachers who helped me to become who I am, and the teachers who my kids rely on. Government employees all, and what would we be without our schools?
Then there are only two actual federal government buildings in my town - the first is the forest service, which takes care of the public lands that dominate my area of the country. No corruption there, and some people I know personally. They might shake off politics generally, but they love their jobs and they are good people.
The other office is DHS, where a disproportionate number of people here go for help. People literally have food to eat because the government cares enough to provide a social safety net, as it should be. The difference this makes in people's lives is hard to quantify, and probably can't be over-estimated. Of course, most people really just want jobs, or better paying jobs, but lacking a better world what we do have is a government that at least provides help for people, families and children. There is no corruption there; they do every bit of good they have the resources for.
...and then there are the home-owners like myself who were able to buy their houses because of government programs and policies that made them affordable, and made loans feasible. 65% of households in the US live in homes they have purchased, and government programs almost universally make that more affordable. I don't know what kind of corruption you would find there.
When I read about the "corrupt beyond repair" government, I can't help but think of the people I know who work for the government, and all the benefits of government that we are surrounded by. I don't see corrupt people, and I don't see any particular corruption. And I don't see much ion the way of "total secrecy and continual lies". Maybe I just don't watch TV enough.
railsback
(1,881 posts)that government is inherently bad.
SamKnause
(13,107 posts)I am not anti government, I am anti corrupt government.
Wall Street thieves collapsed the global economy. Have they been held accountable ? Are you pleased with President Obama's appointments ? Wall Street insiders, Monsanto shills, Bush holdovers, etc. Why isn't Eric Holder doing his job ?
The Bush administration invaded and occupied Iraq. A country that did not attack us, was not a threat to us, and had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11. Has the Bush administration been held accountable ? Why did President Obama's administration allow this to go unpunished ? Why did he interfere with countries that wanted to hold the Bush administration accountable ? Why isn't Eric Holder doing his job ?
Are you familiar with our policies in Latin America ? Are you familiar with the School of Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia that trains torturers and assassins ?
Do you support forced feeding of the detainees in Guantanamo ? Do you support indefinite detention ? Do you support torture ?
Do you support the private prisons contractual demands that their prisons must sustain 90% occupancy ? Did you know that they have lobbyist that lobby for stiffer penalties and longer sentences ?
Do you support torture of juveniles in our juvenile facilities ?
Did you support Homeland Security, the FBI and the police forces treatment of the Occupy Wall Street protesters ?
Do you support the Drone program ? No charges, no trials, no proof, no chance to prove your innocence.
When you do watch TV, if you are watching corporate media you are not getting the facts. 5 corporate conglomerates own all of the U.S. media. That includes TV, radio, newspapers and magazines.
I am not placing all the blame on President Obama.
I am disabled.
I spend my time reading newspapers from around the globe. I research the history of this country. Why are military men and women committing suicide in such large numbers ? Have you watched documentaries about Iraq, about how broken and destroyed many of our military men and women are ?
I am officially 60 years old as of 1 hour and 20 minutes ago.
Being disabled gave me the time to search and find out the truth about this country.
It was hard to accept !!!
Our country is not what it advertises itself to be.
Some people think to admit your country has done many things wrong is very unpatriotic. I disagree. I want my country to improve and not repeat the horrible mistakes it has made. I want it to be that beacon on the hill. The sad truth is that, it is not.
Our government sold our country to the highest bidders. Wall Street and global corporations control everything our government does. Our politicians have sold we the people to the highest bidders.
P.S. Are you familiar with the new trade deal President Obama is working on behind closed doors ? It is called the TPP, Trans-Pacific Partnership. It is NAFTA on steroids. Our government is doing the bidding of corporations. Our military is used to protect corporate interests.
frylock
(34,825 posts)and a belated welcome to DU.
SamKnause
(13,107 posts)Thank you
snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)new addition to the DU community! Keep it up....love your posts and
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 
SamKnause
(13,107 posts)Thank you so very much snappyturtle !!!
Turbineguy
(37,332 posts)there's always Benghazi to fall back on.
DCBob
(24,689 posts)Why do you even get out of bed in the morning??
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)mindwalker_i
(4,407 posts)Well gee whiz, my wife told a bunch of people that I was beating her up, and that's really hurt my reputation. Now people kind of look at me funny, and they don't believe what I say any more. There are fewer people who want to hang out with me and get a beer, not as many people are interested in doing business with me, and I still haven't found anyone to go quail hunting this weekend.
I just can't believe she did this to me! It's so mean and has really made my life unpleasant. What a _____/____/_____.
olddad56
(5,732 posts)just wondering what is up with all the misnomers. And with the brainwashed people who don't even bat an eye.
baldguy
(36,649 posts)Are you one of those "sovereign citizen" doofuses who thinks everything the fed govt does is illegal?
SunSeeker
(51,559 posts)
killbotfactory
(13,566 posts)Incitatus
(5,317 posts)monitoring programs?
I suspected this for years. A lot of Americans might have been naive, but I thought any real terrorist would be more paranoid and careful.
dookers
(61 posts)cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)that whoever revealed Plames name is a hero?
Psephos
(8,032 posts)baldguy
(36,649 posts)Not without a specific warrant anyway That's one of Snowden's lies that people are falling for.
Psephos
(8,032 posts)The evidence says otherwise.
Check this compilation out. http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/06/the-government-and-big-corporations-are-spying-on-many-of-the-things-which-you-do.html
If you follow the links you will be horrified.
Then recall Lord Acton's observation:
"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
baldguy
(36,649 posts)Like where the one man show over there praises Rand Paul, or gets on Alex Jones multiple times, or accuses Obama of planning to assassinate Americans on US soil, or where he says that Islamic terrorism isn't real - all the attacks have been false flag ops, and atheists are responsible for all the turmoil and distress America is facing right now.
You link is a real treasure trove of wacky libertarian conspiracy nut crap.
It's not an approved site.
But the problem is, the approved sites don't report the stuff we need to know.
There is plenty to give thought there, even if you have to step over some dog poop.
Are you motivated to think for yourself?
Read this article at Zero Hedge.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-06-22/meet-man-charge-americas-secret-cyber-army-which-bonesaw-makes-mockery-prism
This one, too.
http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-06-23/stunning-hypocrisy-us-government
wtmusic
(39,166 posts)"Q: Washington-based foreign affairs analyst Steve Clemons said he overheard at the capital’s Dulles airport four men discussing an intelligence conference they had just attended. Speaking about the leaks, one of them said, according to Clemons, that both the reporter and leaker should be “disappeared”. How do you feel about that?
A: Someone responding to the story said ‘real spies do not speak like that’. Well, I am a spy and that is how they talk. Whenever we had a debate in the office on how to handle crimes, they do not defend due process – they defend decisive action. They say it is better to kick someone out of a plane than let these people have a day in court. It is an authoritarian mindset in general."
Of course, you wouldn't have much of an argument if you quoted Snowden correctly.
cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)much like how Snowden illegally revealed classified information on US spying on other countries which he didnt have to do to expose the the knowledge of PRISM and its existence to the ignorant few who still were unaware that the government had similar programs in place since atleast around 1997.
treestar
(82,383 posts)Psephos
(8,032 posts)railsback
(1,881 posts)
Harmony Blue
(3,978 posts)terror cells started to change their approach and why many aid workers in Pakistan are being killed now as well as cell phone sales reps in third world countries. This is why any rational person doesn't buy this story (a.k.a. propaganda) that is being put out there currently.
delrem
(9,688 posts)"Terrorists", people of evil intent, already knew that they in particular were/are targeted and are continuously updating their routines to avoid detection.
Snowden didn't reveal anything to *them*.
What Snowden proved to *us* was that *everyone* is targeted by the NSA, by US "security".
(edited to add: by Canadian, Australian, NZ, UK, and US "security" operating in cooperation. This is NOT a small problem)
And I'm fuckin sick of people trying to obscure that fact with red-herrings and FUD. The revelations are too important and central to what it means to live in a western democracy to tolerate any more of that kind of shit.
That kind of shit is not only stupid, it's contemptible.
Maybe those who peddle that kind of shit should read someone like Tom Paine, and pull their heads out of their asses.
wtmusic
(39,166 posts)SunSeeker
(51,559 posts)
PatrynXX
(5,668 posts)I will fail to see how this is a plus. He's a wimp shouting big words outside the country. Where's a real man...
frylock
(34,825 posts)
temmer
(358 posts)
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
Maedhros
(10,007 posts)of whether the NSA surveillance program accurately identifies "terrorists", or even if those potential "terrorists" have any real capacity to harm the United States. We only have the word of the intelligence agencies and the Pentagon, which at this point cannot be considered unbiased sources because they have so much skin in the game. There is a great amount of incentive for these agencies to fabricate or exaggerate the "terrorist" threat in order to procure funding and power. When we ask for evidence or proof, we're told we can't have it because it's "classified." They say, "trust us!"
Of course the NSA is going to claim that Snowden's leaks have damaged their precious program.
idwiyo
(5,113 posts)
Ash_F
(5,861 posts)Sounds like unaccountable people making shit up to me. Have they stopped one single attack with this program? Nope.
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)
Isn't that what NSA is saying it needs to do?
When "anonymous sources" leak information, they need to be identified , jailed,
tortured, harassed, and possibly killed?
Or is it different rules for the elite v. us "lesser commoners"? <-- Correct answer.
Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)leveymg
(36,418 posts)I just love being lied to in such transparent ways. It makes me feel so safe.
djean111
(14,255 posts)does something to nerves in her eyes so she can see. She mentioned she was thinking of moving to Colorado because of different laws. The first thing I thought was oh shit! Don't talk about this on a phone call!
So the leaks have affected me, too - and I hate that now some have just calmly accepted our police state, and are pissed at the messenger.
I guess now I should drop any friends who might use an NSA trigger word.
KansDem
(28,498 posts)1st Militant: American NSA is reading our emails! We have to alter our method of communication!
2nd Militant: Tell us how we'll do this!
1st Militant: I'll send you an email!
liberal N proud
(60,334 posts)The US is now vulnerable because those we needed to keep an eye on are changing the way they act.
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)in the knowledge they were probably being watched ? I sincerely doubt they'd needed the current issue to wise up.
Whilst they were probably aware average joe citizen wasn't necessarily so. Wat this has brought to the forefront is that the world is being watched.
Nihil
(13,508 posts)Most of the population of the US has always been vulnerable because they believe the
constant stream of lies being produced by their leaders(*) and their tame supporters.
And boy, do they get into a frenzy of denial when someone dares to point that out ...
(*) Not necessarily "political" leaders or "appointed" or "elected" leaders, but by the
defacto leaders - their "shepherds"
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Stupid greedy bastards.
BrainDrain
(244 posts)Of course the angencies are going to say this. Do you think they are going to say, "Oh no problems we got it all right here and all the bad guys are stupid like in the movies and we are John Wayne and will kick their ass with our mucho-macho intell...etc etc etc."
Please. Get. Real.
First is Snowden does NOT have 4 laptops full of uber-secret data. That is just bullshit from the same people who want to arrest him and make him disappear.
Second, when I got my clearances I was 19, in the military, and I saw stuff before the president did.
There are literally tens of thousands of people out there who have the ability to see, on a daily basis, super-secret uber-classified material. For their entire careers, which in most cases spans decades and begin when they are either first in the military and then as a civilian or when they come directly out of college. Either way they begin their careers at what some would deem a tender age, late teens or early twenties. If you count all the people who have already retired from the intel community along with those that are still active within it now, that number is probably in the hundreds of thousands.
Out of ALL those people we have 2 that have actively come forward with information that some would consider detrimental to the interests of the government of the US.
In truth, what Manning has done is shed a very bright light on actual war crimes committed by US military personnel. What Snowden has done is shed a very bright light on a surveillance practice that is most definitely in violation of the constitutional rights of nearly every American citizen.
We have folks screaming and yelling that contractors are the problem. They are NOT. They just pay better than the government does, but the difference is only one of who signs their paycheck, Uncle Sam or a CEO, and in most cases it is both.
The hair pulling and chest pounding is all out of proportion to what is actually happening and is meant, IMHO, as a distraction from the real issues at play. It is NOT that we have young people (with or without collage degrees) being granted access to highly classified material.
The real issue is the material itself and what it contains. These people didn't compromise the military capability of the US, or the ability of the US to keep tabs on the world.
They compromised the ability of the US government to hide its crimes, and THAT, at least too many people both in the government and out, is much, much worse.
baldguy
(36,649 posts)They're arguably more dangerous.
wtmusic
(39,166 posts)We have the resources to project our evil to other areas of the planet.
At Least 32 People Killed in Iraq Attacks
"BAGHDAD — At least 32 people were killed in Iraqi towns and cities on Tuesday, security sources said, the latest flare of violence in a country where sectarian attacks have become a frequent occurrence.
Two suicide bombers detonated explosive belts, one after the other, targeting Shiite Turkmen who had cut off the road between Kirkuk and Baghdad to protest the deteriorating security situation in the district of Tuz Khurmatu, in the east of Salahuddin province.
At least 16 civilians were killed and 53 were wounded, the sources said. The deputy governor of the province and the vice president of the Turkmen Front party were among those killed, they said. "
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/world/middleeast/iraq-attacks.html?_r=0
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)Nothing but disinformation propagated to finally cause erections in ED suffering freepers.
baldguy
(36,649 posts)xocet
(3,871 posts)DCBob
(24,689 posts)Some hero.
xocet
(3,871 posts)The purported comment of John Kerry is very similar to what was said of Bradley Manning's Wikileaks revelations.
Essentially, you have nothing but low-probability guesswork to hang your hat on.
No one said hero: that is your attempt to ridicule him and those who support the fact that he has brought the government's actions into the sunlight for all to see.
Edward Snowden is a very significant whistle-blower and what he revealed should be acknowledged by those who are not in favor of a surveillance state.
Almost 40 years ago, the Idaho Senator warned of the dangers of allowing the NSA to turn inward
Glenn Greenwald
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 25 June 2013 16.05 EDT
In the mid-1970s, the US Senate formed the Select Intelligence Committee to investigate reports of the widespread domestic surveillance abuses that had emerged in the wake of the Nixon scandals. The Committee was chaired by 4-term Idaho Democratic Sen. Frank Church who was, among other things, a former military intelligence officer and one of the Senate's earliest opponents of the Vietnam War, as well as a former Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Even among US Senators, virtually nothing was known at the time about the National Security Agency. The Beltway joke was that "NSA" stood for "no such agency". Upon completing his investigation, Church was so shocked to learn what he had discovered - the massive and awesome spying capabilities constructed by the US government with no transparency or accountability - that he issued the following warning, as reported by the New York Times, using language strikingly stark for such a mainstream US politician when speaking about his own government:
"'That capability at any time could be turned around on the American people, and no American would have any privacy left, such is the capability to monitor everything: telephone conversations, telegrams, it doesn't matter. There would be no place to hide.'
"He added that if a dictator ever took over, the NSA 'could enable it to impose total tyranny, and there would be no way to fight back.'"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/25/frank-church-liberal-icon
DCBob
(24,689 posts)thanks to Eddie.
xocet
(3,871 posts)
Orsino
(37,428 posts)Militants are changing tactics? Really? The militants who were somehow unaware since the mid-aughts that the Feds could easily grab phone records?
Bullshit.
DCBob
(24,689 posts)but now they know more.
temmer
(358 posts)DCBob
(24,689 posts)
Maedhros
(10,007 posts)that helps explain the government's (and media's) efforts to try Snowden in the court of public opinon:
http://www.juancole.com/2013/06/screwing-surveillance-redux.html
PunkyAmerica
(1 post)If you're really a liberal, or even a Democrat, you should be embarassed. First, do you really believe that the bad guys had no idea we were surveilling them on this level? Seriously? Secondly, you take as gospel what unnamed, unknown official sources say, even when those sources--if they truly exist--have a vested interest (or rather a CONFLICT OF INTEREST) in lying to you? Your eagerness to swallow any official story whole, without, apparently, any critical thinking whatever, shows just how far the Democratic Party has fallen, and just how compromised and conservative its most ardent defenders really are.
baldguy
(36,649 posts)Especially if his intent in taking the job was to steal & disseminate secret info. which appears to be the case.
Narkos
(1,185 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)---
Among the disclosures from Snowden that were published in the Washington Post and the Guardian was that Skype, the Internet calling service, was among the systems that provided data to the NSA’s secret PRISM database. That disclosure contradicted a widespread belief that calls made via Skype were difficult or impossible to intercept.
Some alleged terrorists the NSA was tracking are no longer using Skype, U.S. officials say. Others have stopped using email, said one U.S. official who has been briefed on the damage.
---
Osama bin Laden had been savvy enough to take extreme measures to avoid emitting an electronic signature: his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, had no Internet or phone service, and his couriers took the batteries out of their cellphones when they approached within miles of the location.
Most rank-and-file militants either can’t afford to be that careful or have simply not tried to, the official said. The disclosures about the NSA’s ability to track phone calls and email are changing that to some extent, the official said.
http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-snowden-terrorists-communications-20130628,0,2357982.story