US Official Admits Spying On US Phone Calls & Internet Had Nothing To Do With Latest Terror Alert
from the but-of-course dept
As we already noted, defenders of the NSA's mass dragnet collection of data on Americans, such as Senator Saxby Chambliss, have used the latest terror alerts to justify those programs, claiming:They are what lead us to have the - or allow us to have the ability to gather this chatter that I referred to. If we did not have these programs, then we simply wouldn't be able to listen in on the bad guys.Right, so that's a direct claim that these programs -- the Patriot Act Section 215 hoovering up of all metadata and the FISA Amendments Act Section 702 access to data from internet companies -- are apparently necessary to catch the communications from leaders in Al Qaeda that resulted in the terror warnings. That seems dubious for a variety of reasons (not the least of which is that it seems pretty clear that any terrorist with more than a couple of brain cells already knows to avoid anything that might trigger such programs). And, of course, now it's come out that the alert came about because of an intercepted conference call, but that doesn't mean it came via these programs And, indeed, buried in an AP article about the terror alert is this little tidbit:
But an intelligence official said the controversial NSA programs that gather data on American phone calls or track Internet communications with suspected terrorists played no part in detecting the initial tip.In other words, it would appear that Chambliss flat out lied to defend these programs. I guess we can just add that one to the ever growing list.
![Hide This Hide this](https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/topclose.png)
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: al qaeda, nsa surveillance, section 215, section 702
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Something really does not add up.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: messengers
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: messengers
First time we have seen transparency from this administration ... to bad it was their ass backward plan.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
It also reflects when they actually have something that everyone will believe they are once again crying wolf. I've lost all respect and trust in this government to actually do what they are supposed to do.
I keep wondering what else is going to be revealed that hasn't been talked about and what else is of real domestic importance that's being lied about.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Intercepted Conference Calls
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Simple rule
After all, the bad guys read papers, too.
"Oh,look, they have another article in the Guardian. Guess we won't be using Skype, will we?"
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Simple rule
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Amazing
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Amazing
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
These "good guys" sure do alot of shitty, bad and ugly stuff.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
and probably hasn't got a damn clue what he's talking about
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
This picture sums it all up
https://sphotos-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/1148739_10151573576228870_1376726810_n.jpg
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This picture sums it all up
The Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda is hard at work still today!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Rainmaker con
Basically, once I've convinced you of my power over rain, you have two options.
1) It rains, and you should pay me for making it happen.
2) It doesn't rain, and you should pay me to make it happen.
Something similar happens with US National Security politics. Once people are frightened and convinced of the power and necessity of anti-terror agencies, people have two options:
1) If there is no terrorist attack, people should continue this success by supporting expanded powers and funding for the agencies that "prevented" it.
2) If there is a terrorist attack, people should prevent future attacks by supporting expanded powers and funding for the agencies that will "prevent" it in the future.
A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.
(How about a nice game of chess?)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]