Government Employees Suddenly Worried About Surveillance As New Plans To Stop The Next Snowden Strip All Privacy
from the surveillance-on-themselves dept
The Associated Press has a story about how the US intelligence community is ramping up efforts to stop the next Ed Snowden by basically monitoring nearly everything that government employees and contractors with security clearance do:Stung by internal security lapses, U.S. intelligence officials plan to use a sweeping electronic system to continually monitor workers with secret clearances.... The system is intended to identify rogue agents, corrupt officials and leakers and draws on a Defense Department model under development for more than a decade.... Intelligence officials have long wanted a computerized system that could monitor employees, in part to foil leakers like former National Security Agency analyst Edward Snowden....Of course, now that it's about the intelligence community spying on the intelligence community, those government employees are suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable about all of this:
Privacy advocates and government employee union officials expressed concerns that electronic monitoring could intrude into individuals' private lives, prompt flawed investigations and put sensitive personal data at greater risk.The officials backing the program claim this is no real risk because "the system would have safeguards." Of course, that's the excuse we've been hearing for ages about the bulk data collection programs that the NSA and FBI use -- that supposedly they have "safeguards." Considering that the government employees union doesn't seem satisfied with that response indicates that the folks who actually work in the intelligence community know that such "safeguards" are pretty bogus and do little to actually protect privacy.
Of course, there seems to be no recognition from those who are complaining about this new system that it shows why the American public (and, well, the rest of the world) are so concerned about the other surveillance programs of the intelligence community.
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Filed Under: intelligence community, leaks, monitoring, privacy, whistleblowers
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So, government...
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Re:
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One small concept
It just might be crazy enough to work...
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They should report their concerns through the official channels, not leak to the media - that costs lives and irreparably harms the country.
Right?
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Ahhhhh...
Shoe, meet other foot.
.
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Incentive to Hire
Of course this fails to account for the power hungry Machiavellian in the making with those qualities who wants 'control' and has to start a career someplace.
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Re: Incentive to Hire
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Glass Houses
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Ha ha ha ROFL worthy
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I'm sorry I actually had to say that out loud while I was typing it just to be sure.
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That will work great. /s
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Now you've got two problems
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Asymmetry in Action
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Re:
It's also the last thing that these security branches want to do.
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Two way mirror...
While the government is watching us (and the rest of the world), every activity by government employees should be published in real time to the internet for active crowdsourced public monitoring. Alerts roll up, but are also monitored by the crowd.
Answers the 'who watches the watchers' question, and provides more parity into the power balance between governments and the people.
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What's good for the goose is good for the gander
Here's hoping it lasts indefinitely, because any attempt they make to "restore Fourth Amendment privacy rights" will of course specifically restore their privacy rights and no one else's. And as long as Big Brother's going to be watching us no matter what, he might as well keep on watching them too.
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Boonedoggle
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Re: Boonedoggle
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Watch this.
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Expanded gov't spying
You also realize that this increased spying with a brand-new program is NOT just for NSA/FBI/CIA (and every other alphabet soup agency) contractor employees? Nor will it be limited to gov't employees once its efficacy is known, as should be easily seen by now.
How many of us were stupid enough a decade+ ago to think we actually killed TIA? They killed the name; only.
I didn't go into work today. I'm trying to decide (4 years from retirement with not enough $$$ to tide me over til then) whether or not to quit my *non-intel* job because of this.
This is actively monitoring and profiling all gov't employees both on-the-job (expected) and OFF-the-job. How long before that monitoring grabs, hassles, fires, or disappears those of us protesting this and other political issues? (allowed [supposedly still] on our off-duty time) And how long before it morphs under a corp-religio-fascist-type gov't to encompass those who hold the wrong religion. I've already lived thru the years when people in my religion were jailed, had kids taken away, etc. That was only 20 years ago. Think it can't happen again?
Gov't and corporations may no longer be able to look at the long term implications of what laws they put in place; surely WE are still able to do that. Or have we all been dumbed down by the "conform or else" curriculum of constant test taking?
As someone who has gone from punch cards to bench tech; from no hard drives to the cloud; I expected a much more enlightened series of comments from people on this site. Most of us ARE techs or in the biz somehow, and we're all against this survellience. Tell me honestly -- does some gov't receptionist barely making $12k a year deserve to have both her online and offline life -- as well as everyone 3-6 jumps from her, monitored constantly JUST because it's a GS position?
Maybe I've lived too long, and there's no longer any place in this world for me - a consideration I'm actually contemplating.
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Re: Expanded gov't spying
Yup, which is one of the indications that there is something very, very wrong with the classification system.
"How many of us were stupid enough a decade+ ago to think we actually killed TIA?"
Ummm, I would guess very few, at least amongst the set of people who were concerned about it at the time -- it was commonly accepted and discussed that "killing" TIA would mean it was going to be broken into parts and each part absorbed under a different program. Which is exactly what happened.
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Re: Expanded gov't spying
Yes they deserve such.
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Re: Re: Expanded gov't spying
Receptionists don't spy any more than clerks do. Why, then? Let's not become the thing we hate.
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What's good for the goose...
Heck, considering the mass surveillance of the public is supposedly justified due to 'security' reason(and of course the always classic Because terrorists!), if anything those working in the 'security' agencies would have less room to complain, as they're dealing with sensitive, potentially dangerous information/data on a regular basis.
So basically, if those in the government are going to argue that indiscriminate spying on the public isn't something to get worked up over, then they have no right to turn around and demand that their privacy be respected. Respect the rights of the public, and then maybe the public will care about the rights of those spying on them.
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In other news
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HOW can..
Its ridiculous, that ALL that is on the news is death and destruction INSIDE the USA, GLORIFIED.
To BYPASS the Right to bear arms they RAISE prices on Guns and AMMO.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH DONT WORK, As the only ones listened to, Since we dont know whats going on, are the CORPS who pay others to Stick a Worm in the Congress ears.
Trade agreements that ARENT from our Gov. being passed as LAW? in private bypassing event he law makers..
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If you have
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Re: If you have
I may... or may not... set off some snoop's buttons today. Doesn't mean I won't tomorrow. We all KNOW how easy it is to get off a government list once we're on there, right? ;)
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Re: Re: If you have
Now try getting even one of them to admit it. I must say, I find it entertaining that they whine about their Constitutional rights one minute and work to tear it up the next.
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Something's Rotten in Denmark
"Surveillance
The inhabitants of Oceania, particularly the Outer Party members, have no real privacy. Many of them live in apartments equipped with two-way telescreens, so that they may be watched or listened to at any time.
Similar telescreens are found at workstations and in public places, along with hidden microphones. Written correspondence is routinely opened and read by the government before it is delivered.
The Thought Police employ undercover agents, who pose as normal citizens and report any person with subversive tendencies.
Children are encouraged to report suspicious persons to the government, and some even denounce their parents. Surveillance controls the citizenry and the smallest sign of rebellion, even something so small as a facial expression, can result in immediate arrest and imprisonment.
Thus, citizens (and particularly party members) are compelled to obedience."
Just a few more steps and we'll be there.
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Re: Something's Rotten in Denmark
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I support this idea completely
And since they might be conspiring with others, their family MUST also be subject to this, also 24x7. Their home must have surveillance video and audio deployed around it, and all their Internet traffic captured. All their physical mail must be monitored, along with their TV habits, their book purchases, their music preferences, even their grocery shopping. EVERYTHING about them must be captured and provided for review so that we can be sure that they're not traitorous villains.
Let's do this. I'm excited about this. I can't wait.
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