Surprise! NSA data will soon routinely be used for domestic policing that has nothing to do with terrorism

What does this rule change mean for you? In short, domestic law
enforcement officials now have access to huge troves of American
communications, obtained without warrants, that they can use to put
people in cages. FBI agents don’t need to have any “national security”
related reason to plug your name, email address, phone number, or other
“selector” into the NSA’s gargantuan data trove. They can simply poke
around in your private information in the course of totally routine
investigations. And if they find something that suggests, say,
involvement in illegal drug activity, they can send that information to
local or state police. That means information the NSA collects for
purposes of so-called “national security” will be used by police to lock
up ordinary Americans for routine crimes. And we don’t have to guess
who’s going to suffer this unconstitutional indignity the most brutally.
It’ll be Black, Brown, poor, immigrant, Muslim, and dissident
Americans: the same people who are always targeted by law enforcement for extra “special” attention.

While this is, unfortunately, not really surprising, it is absolutely stunning and scary where the US, and many other countries, are headed. Since we’re apparently totally helpless against these changes, the only thing that is keeping me somewhat sane is the outlook of this project (and others with a similar premise).

So, thanks again for your hard and dedicated work. It’s apparent that we need it now more than ever. No pressure though :stuck_out_tongue:

13 Likes

After the US - only because they’re technologically behind - follows the EU.

In the EU it’s the serfs who aren’t enthusiastic about handing over 40% of their income to the idiots in Bruxelles and their government, “extremists” (that is, anyone who doesn’t want to be a serf). Terrorists are pretty safe in the EU, they’re at near the bottom of the list.
In the EU tax evaders and indigenous extremists are number one threat, because they are the only ones that see the EU as a problem. Actually you could say that recent terrorists acts are in private likely seen as welcome by various tax collectors because they can put the new surveillance equipment to good use…

4 Likes

This nearly made me cry… I’ll leave at that. :rage:

2 Likes

Coincidentally I just watched 007’s Spectre last night.
The abuses of this power will be far reaching. We have already had cases where agents have used this type of access to spy on x-girlfriends. We know it will be used to frame politicians and put them in the pocket of those who control the all seeing eye. The saddest part is those who control this tool have already proven themselves to liars and thieves.

4 Likes

There has already been a number of cases in Australia of police being charged for accessing the confidential police database to help friend’s out. A few of police using tracking equipment to keep tabs on their girlfriends while they go on fishing trips.

Imagine access to the wealth of information that the NSA has. Police checking if their partners searched for STD information, or whatever.

Oh wait, Australia is in the process of implementing 2 years data retention without the need for a warrant to access. It is widely accepted that mobile data will have to include URL’s since its too hard for mobile ISP to remove. Good to note that one should not do sensitive google searches on mobile device

1 Like