Posted on 12/13/2013 2:51:40 PM PST by kobald
A participant in a White House-sponsored review of surveillance activities described as “shameful” an apparent decision to leave most of the National Security Agency’s controversial bulk spying intact.
Sascha Meinrath, director of the Open Technology Institute, said Friday that the review panel he advised is at risk of missing an opportunity to restore confidence in US surveillance practices.
“The review group was searching for ways to make the most modest pivot necessary to continue business as usual,” Meinrath said...
According to the leaks, the review group will recommend that bulk collection of every American’s phone call data continue, possibly by the phone companies instead of the NSA...
The Open Technology Institute’s Meinrath said he told White House chief of staff Denis McDonough that the bulk surveillance revelations represented a “reputational crisis” for the US. “I think the Obama administration is going to be shocked in their own special way by just how little impact this has in turning around public perception of what they’re doing,” he said.
“I think what they’re going to find is when the initial dust settles from this attempt to spin the story is that people are going to be quick to realize this is not meaningful reform, this is not a bold new direction, and it is not going to do much to rein in a surveillance regime run amok.”
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
yep, change with change to the worse.
That's pretty much how this "review" process worked.
What you say in Vegas
Stays in a Utah data farm facility
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NSA needs a new PR firm.
about as big a joke as the IRS “taxpayer advocate”.
Sham democracy —OCCUPIED U.S.A.
I think the term is “Duh” did anyone really expect NSA to just close the windows?
I have always assuned that if the government could, the government would. I am a patriot, I would never betray my country, BUT I also have more sense than to say anything over a phone line I would not like published in tomorrow’s paper.
Pass all the laws you want: if it can be done, it will be done, and has been done.
While it is true that the 0bama administration is more venal than most, it really makes no difference whether it is democrat or republican is in office. The government has gone feral. There is ultimately only one solution for that.
Makes no difference if the NSA gets the phone companies to collect and forward the data, rather than the NSA directly harvesting it.
I'd like to say I expect better from the US government, but I don't.
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