US surveillance went too far, admits John Kerry

[ForgoTheConsequence]

Source: CNET

Speaking to a conference from the Open Government Partnership,the US secretary of state says that some of the surveillance actions were on automatic pilot.

United States Secretary of State John Kerry has acknowledged that some of the government's surveillance activities reached too far.
Answering questions about the surveillance controversy on Thursday from attendees of the Open Government Partnership conference, Kerry said that some of the actions occurred because the program was on autopilot, inferring that the Obama administration was unaware of what was going on.

"The president and I have learned of some things that have been happening in many ways on an automatic pilot, because the technology is there and the ability is there," Kerry said, according to the Guardian. "In some cases, some of these actions have reached too far and we are going to try to make sure it doesn't happen in the future."

.......



But he noted that the president has ordered a review of US surveillance tactics.
"There is an effort to try to gather information, yes, in same cases inappropriately, and the president is now doing a thorough review, in order that nobody will have a sense of abuse," he said.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57610402-83/us-surveillance-went-too-far-admits-john-kerry/

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He's saying what some of us have been saying all along (and have been chastised for).

[mike_c]

1. how about MOST of them...?

Absent probable cause, NO surveillance of individuals should take place.

[Vox Moi]

2. Automatic Pilot???

What a jaw-dropping admission that nobody was behind the wheel and that the President did not know it.
So, what about Snowden?
This administration has been particularly hard on whistleblowers and maybe, just maybe, this will cause the people at the top to realize that it is in their own best interest to listen -and protect - those who wish to point out that there is a problem.
Snowden broke the law but in doing so he brought to light that one part of the Government is seriously out of control and that another part had closed its ears to internal dissent.
This is a great a opportunity to show that Presidential pardons can be used for something more than saving the life of a thanksgiving turkey.

[cui bono]

8. +1

I know, as if it makes us feel better that something like the NSA is out of control due to lack of hands on oversight. Sheesh.

If that really is the case, they should be thanking Snowden in the same sentence that includes this admission for bringing this to their attention so that they can get someone in control of this monstrosity that is running on autopilot with the people in charge not having a clue what's going on.

[Demeter]

19. I submit: You CANNOT break a bad law....but it can break the government

[karynnj]

3. I think almost everyone here was very troubled by the surveillance of Merkel and other leaders

I think where some of us had a problem was that there was no attempt to try to fix this internally. There are people - like my current Senator - Pat Leahy, who heads the Judiciary committee and - if his politics were more in that direction - Rand Paul, who Snowden could have gone to to push for the very changes that are now demanded. This could have led to reforms without the damage to the US position in the world. (To me, it is suspicious that a person who contributed to Ron Paul put this out now - could it be to help a Reblican libertarian win in 2016?)

I still see that keeping the database of records of calls would be a fantastic resource - as long as there are VERY tight controls on any queries and their results. Especially in a world where there are many phone companies, being able to get information on the people who called a target or whom the target called would be an incredible when the US has identified someone who has committed an act of terrorism. As long as a subpoena is needed, this is no different than the requests that local telcos always got.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

4. I think the majority were troubled.

But even then I had people telling me that "everyone does it" and treating it like it was no big deal.

[karynnj]

6. I was sick when that was Alexanders' reply to Congress

Everybody doing it is the type of argument that kids - usually unsuccessfully - try when they have no real defense. Not to mention it is pretty weak for a country that defines itself as exceptional. (Here again - I liked Kerry's take on that - the US is exceptional when it does exceptional things - changing it to a goal that has to be earned and that is not limited to the US. I was not happy with Obama's use recently.)

I think the only way past this internationally may be an international (UN?) convention that could establish rules for everyone.

I suspect that this is likely a clear sign that the administration may take a stronger reform position than it has.

[cui bono]

9. Nope, it is very different.

They have no right to collect and store our data without suspicion of guilt and a warrant. It's bullshit and when you agree to it your are taking one more step towards Big Brother. Anyone who thinks it's okay is helping to move us into a more authoritarian state every day.

[karynnj]

10. The phone company used to archive the records and give them to the government

There are now multiple phone companies and it would be far harder to get the same information that was gotten from the phone company for decades.

As I said - I think this is good ONLY if access required a subpoena.

[cui bono]

15. Wel when they have the subpoena they can go get the info.

There aren't that many phone companies to stop them from being able to do so.

Do you really trust that is would only be accessed legally? With it all the political shenanigans going on and that info being under the control of private contractors?

And again, it's the similar to the "nothing to hide so who cares" argument. It's about our rights, not whether we have anything to hide or not, not whether they access is without a subpoena or not. It's eroding our bill of rights.

[karynnj]

7. Kerry is a true liberal and he has done more for this country than a poster on DU

The fact is that Kerry took very strong positions on the precursor issue to this - FISA in 2006 and 2007. He was one of the strongest advocates in the Senate against immunity for telcos and against FISA. Earlier hearings in 2005 in the Commerce committee on Choicepoint and other private companies aggregating information on people showed that he has long had very strong opinions against that.

He is now constrained in what he can publicly say -- from his past positions, I think that we are lucky that his voice is one that Obama will hear.

[karynnj]

12. Kerry was one of the first Democrats to speak against war against Iraq

Yes I know he voted for the IWR - but before that he was a leader in demanding Bush go to Congress and to the UN. It was those things he spoke of when he voted - saying if Bush did do what he promised and went to war other than as a last resort, he would speak out. Then before the war started he spoke out saying not to rush to war and that if he did go to war, it would not be a war of last resort. He has said often that the vote was wrong.

Kerry is constrained now because he is a part of the administration and what he says reflects on the administration.

[dipsydoodle]

13. ...........after the horse has bolted.

.

[hughee99]

16. What? When did Sec. Kerry become a racist Paulbot who hates the president?

[arely staircase]

21. well since Pres. Obama undoubtedly approved hisvstatement

President Obama is an Obama hating Paulbot.

It looks like the president just found a big turd the cheney administration left him.

[hughee99]

22. Kerry didn't work in the Cheney administration, did he?

As I've learned recently from SOME DUers, people critical of the NSA are racists and paulbots. As Kerry came out with such a statement, I can only conclude it's because he's a racist paulbot. You'd think President Obama would know better than to appoint such a person.

[arely staircase]

23. anythin kerry is saying is on the presidents behalf. nt

[hughee99]

25. Are you suggesting the president is a racist paulbot?

Ah, we kid

[frylock]

18. odd for him to admit that, considering that snowden is a liar that made everything up..

or something argle bargle commie.

[Fumesucker]

20. The president has ordered a review of US surveillance tactics

A review which will be performed by very serious people who will eventually conclude that mistakes were made but no substantive reforms are needed, instead the optimum course is to get rid of a few bad apples among the lower tier bureaucrats and operatives as a cosmetic move.

There, I just saved the US government at least a hundred million dollars.

[arely staircase]

24. perhaps

But I think more is going on.

[Enrique]

26. ok here's an idea then

fire the people that "went too far," and give their jobs to Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras.

[ronnie624]

27. Following the 9/11 attacks,

the "US and others -- I emphasize to you, others -- realized that we are dealing with a new world where people are willing to blow themselves up," Kerry said. "There are countless examples. Look at Nairobi. What if you were able to intercept that? We have prevented airplanes from going down and buildings from being blown up because we have learned ahead of time of such plans."

I'm highly skeptical.

The minuscule threat posed by terrorism, in no way, justifies the dismantling of our democracy and the tremendous effort and expenditure of resources devoted to the so called Global War on Terror. It is truly astonishing that so many people can be taken by this irrational nonsense. The impending global disaster that will result from the poisoning of our biosphere, is of far greater significance than terrorism.

We need to get our shit together soon.

[Psephos]

28. right on the money n/t

[gopiscrap]

29. no shit