Obama Spying On You

[DieHardBrownsFan]

NATION

PRISM by the Numbers: A Guide to the Government’s Secret Internet Data-Mining Program

By Victor LuckersonJune 06, 201311 Comments

• One day after The Guardian revealed that the U.S. government has been secretly collecting call log data from millions of Verizon customers, The Washington Post reported Thursday that the government’s monitoring of American’s data goes much, much deeper. The FBI and the National Security Agency are mining the servers of the country’s biggest technology companies for the purpose of hunting spies and terrorists. The program, code-named PRISM, is massive in scope and involves web services that many Americans use every day.
  

To make all this shadowy surveillance easier to digest, here are the relevant data points about the massive data collection:

(MORE: 7 Things to Know About the Government’s Secret Database of Telephone Data)

9

The number of tech companies involved in the PRISM program. Here’s a list, from an NSA slideshow, including the date when monitoring began:

• Microsoft (September 2007)
  
• Yahoo (March 2008)
  
• Google (January 2009)
  
• Facebook (June 2009)
  
• PalTalk (December 2009)
  
• YouTube (September 2010)
  
• Skype (February 2011)
  
• AOL (March 2011)
  
• Apple (October 2012)
  

So far Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Yahoo have flatly denied that they provide the government backdoor access to their services, according to a variety of news sources. Twitter, which says it has been particularly vigilant in protecting user data from government agencies, is notably absent from the list. Dropbox is next in line to be added to PRISM, according to the Post.

10

The number of different types of data that are collected through PRISM. E-mails, instant messages, videos, photos, stored data (likely items stored on cloud services like Google Drive), voice chats, file transfers, video conferences, log-in times, and social network profile details have all been monitored by the government. Through PRISM NSA officials can even conduct live surveillance of someone doing a Google search, according to the Post.

(MORE: The NSA Snooping Scoop: Behind the Guardian‘s Risky Plans for Global Expansion)

$20 million

The annual cost of PRISM, according to NSA documents obtained by the Post

2007

The year PRISM was established. The Post describes an “exponential growth” in the program since President Obama took office. The government has snooped on other forms of communication in recent years as well. On Thursday, Senator Dianne Feinstein confirmed that the NSA phone log database has been in place for at least seven years.

1,477

The number of times PRISM data was cited in 2012 as part of President Obama’s daily briefing, a high-level intelligence presentation given to the president, the vice president and select cabinet members. According to the Post, at least 1 in 7 intelligence reports from the NSA make use of PRISM data.

51%

Confidence level intelligence officials are supposed to have of a target’s “foreignness” to make use of PRISM data. The massive database is aimed at surveilling spies and foreign terrorists, not Americans. However, large amounts of American user data is also picked up as officials hunt for threats. The NSA describes this as “incidental.”

[gftChris]

[MLD Woody]

That was close.

 

I always upload my terrorist plans on Drop box to colab with either terrorists about terror. And I post about the terror on Twitter while following other terrorists. Terror

[gftChris]

Not to nit-pick with the whole Obama-second-coming-of-Hitler/Stalin/Mao agenda going on here, but this was started before he was in office. Hell, in your post you've said that Microsoft was the first to join, in 2007.

[Westside Steve]

That's true Chris. I wonder if someone has that YouTube clip of candidate Obama railing about it then.

Now? Not so much.

WSS

[DieHardBrownsFan]

Yes and it has expanded greatly under his Presidency.

[heckofajobbrownie]

This should be fun because I don't think anyone in here besides me objected to it at the time.

 

I think these are gross and clear violations of the 4th Amendment, but that view has almost become quaint these days. But again, none of these revelations were new to me. They've been doing this stuff for years. We've known about it for years. This is more like a refresher course.

 

I'm happy the country is learning - or re-learning - just how much they've traded in liberty for the promise of security. And my guess? It won't be dialed back one single bit.

[gftChris]

I'm happy the country is learning - or re-learning - just how much they've traded in liberty for the promise of security. And my guess? It won't be dialed back one single bit.

It's basically a direct trade-off. No security is great when you're talking about your freedom, constitutional rights etc. but when some fundamentalist (of any description) takes your head off with a gun/bomb/sword/potato peeler then people will start to ask questions.

 

Frankly, I have nothing to hide, no secrets that I desperately want to keep from the government, so it doesn't bother me one iota. Sure, I'm not going to share my internet history with my mother, but I'm not doing anything illegal.

[MLD Woody]

I agree with Chris here. Yeah yeah, slippery slope and all that, but I'm not doing anything illegal.

[Kosar_For_President]

That was close.

 

I always upload my terrorist plans on Drop box to colab with either terrorists about terror. And I post about the terror on Twitter while following other terrorists. Terror

 

Ahhhh, the old, "well if I am not doing anything wrong, who cares" adage. Dude my father, brother, aunt, Die Hard and other people have been fighting this totalitarian bullshit for a century. It doesn't matter that you are doing nothing "wrong". Pure violation of OUR rights not just YOURS numb nuts.

[Kosar_For_President]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9845595-7.html

 

More lies from this asshole.

[MLD Woody]

 

Ahhhh, the old, "well if I am not doing anything wrong, who cares" adage. Dude my father, brother, aunt, Die Hard and other people have been fighting this totalitarian bullshit for a century. It doesn't matter that you are doing nothing "wrong". Pure violation of OUR rights not just YOURS numb nuts.

Its not like they're removing freedom of speech or remote accessing everyone's computer.

[heckofajobbrownie]

I'm with Kosar. "I'm not doing anything wrong so I don't care if the government records everything I do on the phone/internet?" Really? Yikes.

[Stewy]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9845595-7.html

 

More lies from this asshole.

 

Stay tuned for the "well, they all lie" defense.

 

The fact is that this fraud has a compilation of lies that far exceed his predecessors...and the media never calls him out on it.

[MLD Woody]

I'm with Kosar. "I'm not doing anything wrong so I don't care if the government records everything I do on the phone/internet?" Really? Yikes.

Are they recording everything? I never said I don't care what they do, I just don't think this is a giant outrage. If it was expanded then we could talk.

[heckofajobbrownie]

How about this, fellas?

 

"I'm not doing anything wrong so I don't care if the government records all of my phone conversations and every email, text, video I send, and keeps them in a database for future investigations."

 

Sound good to you? Or would that sound more like East Germany?

 

"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."

 

So forget the part about our houses and papers and effects. Forget the "unreasonable" part, the part about warrants, the part about probably cause, and the part where you have to get a judge to swear off on it, or the part about describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

 

Other than everything is the goddamn 4th Amendment, this sounds perfectly legal.

 

But hey, it's okay, because they're not "targeting" you.

[heckofajobbrownie]

And come on, where are all you guys who heard about this last time and were furious ....at the New York Times for publishing the story?

[MLD Woody]

The article doesn't say they're recording phone conversations, just call logs.

[heckofajobbrownie]

I know. I'm asking if you'd be okay with that. You're not doing anything wrong, after all.

 

Would you?

[MLD Woody]

If they were listening in on my calls? I'd be more upset about that. The chances would be slim there would be a reason to spy on me, but i wouldn't like the idea.

[heckofajobbrownie]

But it's okay if they record every call you made and who it was to, and from where you made it and how long it lasted?

 

And your calls are different from your emails how? Or how are your calls different from your Skype chats? They've got all of that. All of it.

[Stewy]

How about this, fellas?

 

"I'm not doing anything wrong so I don't care if the government records all of my phone conversations and every email, text, video I send, and keeps them in a database for future investigations."

 

Sound good to you? Or would that sound more like East Germany?

 

"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."

 

So forget the part about our houses and papers and effects. Forget the "unreasonable" part, the part about warrants, the part about probably cause, and the part where you have to get a judge to swear off on it, or the part about describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

 

Other than everything is the goddamn 4th Amendment, this sounds perfectly legal.

 

But hey, it's okay, because they're not "targeting" you.

 

Actually you can look at people in communist countries like Russia having more privacy than "freedom loving" Americans. The IRS and Social Security are agruably violations of the 4th amendment right to secure our papers and effects...by that 9 digit number we all are unconstitutionally forced to possess, the government knows how much money we have, how much we make, where we invest, where we work, what business we are in, how old we are, how much gold we own, if our house is paid for or not, who we borrow from, how many children we have, where we eat, how much land we own, how many houses we own, who we donate to...but nobody looks at that. The right to secure our papers? Riiiiight. Abolish the IRS.

 

Not trying to hijack the thread, just sayin.

[Kosar_For_President]

Its not like they're removing freedom of speech or remote accessing everyone's computer.

 

Have you read the bill of rights? Dude you are smarter than this. Listen to Heck, you are missing the point. It's a blatant, violation of your rights. Who the fuck cares what you are talking about dude. It your rights as a whole, not because YOU are not talking about terrorism or Bob is talking about killing someone. First the 4th amendment then what. If you are not outraged, you have to be an idiot.

 

They are doing this to find offenders. They need probable cause.

[heckofajobbrownie]

That's simply not true. The IRS collecting taxes so that the government may function is not a violation of the 4th Amendment. The IRS auditing its citizens who they believe have incorrectly filed a return is not a violation of the 4th Amendment. That's what they mean by "reasonable search."

 

Social Security numbers are not a violation of the 4th Amendment.

[Kosar_For_President]

That's simply not true. The IRS collecting taxes so that the government may function is not a violation of the 4th Amendment. The IRS auditing its citizens who they believe have incorrectly filed a return is not a violation of the 4th Amendment. That's what they mean by "reasonable search."

 

Social Security numbers are not a violation of the 4th Amendment.

 

At least they are doing this shit with us knowing.

[heckofajobbrownie]

And Wood, they're not remotely accessing everyone's computer? They don't have to get in your hard drive. They just take it from the server.

 

They can call up every key stroke you've ever pressed, everything you've ever sent over the internet, with the speed of a Google search. It's all being recorded. They only need a warrant to come and take your hard drive for the stuff you haven't sent over the internet - Word documents and the like.

[heckofajobbrownie]

What's fun about this stuff is that it's truly bipartisan. Other than Ron and Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders (and possibly a few others) everyone signed off on this stuff when they renewed the FISA laws in 2008.

 

As I noted earlier, when we first learned of these programs during the Bush years, the right - and the people in here - were furious ...at the New York Times. They were fully behind the program.

[calfoxwc]

It worries me. Mostly, because of the widespread invasion of privacy for innocent Americans.

Obamao has just said that email spying doesn't apply to Americans living in America.

But I look at a lot of things going on and it paints a 1984 kind of picture. The dramatic AP overreach on all emails?

Going after Rosen's PARENT's emails and all? The IRS asking privacy invading questions, demands for donor lists,

then giving those lists to liberal political opponent groups for use in potiical battles? Lists of gun owners...given to the NY Times

to publish?

 

Lists of politically conservative groups to be targeted? 11 lib groups vs hundreds of conservative groups targeted by the IRS?

I remember the two attorneys in Minn. that went public with warnings of prosecution for saying "untrue" things about Obamao.

The underhanded "Fast and Furious" scandal, to create "evidence" that more gun control is needed? The cover-up of Benghazi,

to hide what was going on there and/or keep the "terrorism is over because of Obamao" narrative going? This gov will be able to

datamine from the phone, internet, and ...smart meters on your house. And by drones all over the U.S.. And Obamaocare - IRS enforced, government information ...to be used how? To intimidate any patriotic group again? And this food thing in schools. And the propaganda, pro Obamao

 

...in schools. OH, btw, 10 million Hispanics will be able to get ...Obamaocare. The Great Giveaway for Permanent Political Power...sounds like?

 

The exploding of our national debt, after Obamao called Bush "Unpatriotic" for the debt?

The old "I will need a 'civilian security force, as well funded and armed as our own military" whatever the exact quote was?

Anyways, it only takes one corrupt president to abuse all this information. We have one of those now. Obamao says to actually listen to phone calls, etc... they will still need a federal judge to okay it. And, there is still a FISA court. And how many fed judges

are out there, that will do Obamao and co.'s political bidding? It's a huge political movement - and it doesn't

base it's rights on our Constitution.

 

Anyways, the idea that they are putting ALL AMERICANS under surveillance as a group... is very worrisome. Americans can now be targeted for their political opinions Obamao and co. don't like. Economics can be used as a political weapon. Just look at the Cloward-Piven philosophy.

 

So can information be used as a political weapon. And those seem to be pointed at... all of us, especially if we disagree with them.

[Legacy Fan]

[calfoxwc]

As I posted the thread of the same subject...

 

the FISA court ruled the feds overstepped their bounds, and broke the law.

 

Holder and Obamao are classifying that report, and trying to keep it secret.

 

Big, very serious trouble. and, perhaps, this is just the beginning....?