Update: What does this mean?
A leading Republican senator on Tuesday described controversial U.S. spy programs as looking far deeper into Americans’ phone records than the Obama administration has been willing to admit, fueling new privacy concerns as Congress sought to defend the surveillance systems.
“Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC., says the U.S. intelligence surveillance of phone records allows analysts to monitor U.S. phone records for a pattern of calls, even if those numbers have no known connection to terrorism.”
“Graham says the National Security Agency then matches phone numbers against known terrorists. Graham helped draft the surveillance law that governs the surveillance program.”
In other words, they’re looking for patterns among the general population that match the phone patterns of people they’ve already identified as terrorists? So they’re not limiting themselves to targeting specific terrorist-linked numbers anymore, but suspicious “patterns” too?
FReepers going to accuse Graham of being a traitor to the USSA for revealing this?
The words in post #5 are from the link. I forgot to put quote marks around them.
The prospect of unregulated governmental monitoring will undoubtedly prove disturbing even to those with nothing illicit to hide. Many individuals, including members of unpopular political organizations or journalists with confidential sources, may legitimately wish to avoid disclosure of their personal contacts. See NAACP v. Alabama, 357 U. S. 449, 357 U. S. 463 (1958); Branzburg v. Hayes, 408 U. S. 665, 408 U. S. 695 (1972); id. at 408 U. S. 728-734 (STEWART, J., dissenting). Permitting governmental access to telephone records on less than probable cause may thus impede certain forms of political affiliation and journalistic endeavor that are the hallmark of a truly free society. Particularly given the Government’s previous reliance on warrantless telephonic surveillance to trace reporters’ sources and monitor protected political activity,
I am unwilling to insulate use of pen registers from independent judicial review. —from the dissenting opinions in the 1979 scotus decision that was later overturned by a 1988 congressional act.
“FReepers going to accuse Graham of being a traitor to the USSA for revealing this?”
No, he’s a traitor for his support of the illegal invasion across the southern border.
Lindsey doesn’t even know what side of this issue he’s on. He’s mad at the NSA, but he condemns the man who exposed this monstrosity.
Lindsey Graham via Twitter:
“I view Mr. Snowdens’ actions not as one of patriotism but potentially a felony.”
Sounds like MCI friends and family on steroids.
Graham has a credibility problem.
This administration has committed outright treason in using government agencies to target conservatives and political agenda opponents.
What protects us from any unscrupulous administration using this data?
It is pointedly obvious that those resources have been aimed at citizens rather than the stated goal.
Why else did they miss the Boston bombers and their ilk? They were warned twice by the Russians. How about Hassan? If they’re just watching terrorists, they would have been taken down before they went on their killing sprees.
No, they were too busy monitoring their conservative opposition. The war on terror excuse is patent bs. They simply can’t be trusted with this kind of power.