Documents: U.S. intelligence mining data from nine U.S. Internet companies in broad secret program

Washington Post ^ | 6/6/13 | Barton Gellman and Laura Poitras

[Red in Blue PA]

The National Security Agency and the FBI are tapping directly into the central servers of nine leading U.S. Internet companies, extracting audio, video, photographs, e-mails, documents and connection logs that enable analysts to track a person’s movements and contacts over time.

The highly classified program, code-named PRISM, has not been disclosed publicly before. Its establishment in 2007 and six years of exponential growth took place beneath the surface of a roiling debate over the boundaries of surveillance and privacy. Even late last year, when critics of the foreign intelligence statute argued for changes, the only members of Congress who know about PRISM were bound by oaths of office to hold their tongues.

[Black Agnes]

At least partially to blame.

I note that ‘07 was the year congress was subsumed by the dims. How much of the funding and programs came from the dims in charge of things there?

[IrishPennant]

You are right...silly moi...

[Black Agnes]

I think these agencies are so large as to operate with their OWN approval.

They’re like that tornado in El Reno. They make their OWN weather.

[Carry_Okie]

I note that ‘07 was the year congress was subsumed by the dims. How much of the funding and programs came from the dims in charge of things there?

I seriously doubt this was a line-item on any budget. NSA doesn't work that way.

[Carry_Okie]

I think these agencies are so large as to operate with their OWN approval.

I don't think the NSA budget has ever been public.

[Black Agnes]

It DOES make me question McCain’s sudden reversal on the campaign trail ‘you don’t have anything to fear from an Obama presidency’ comment.

His sudden campaign suspension.

And for what we think about the pols, the critically incriminating information doesn’t even have to be theirs. Might be their spouses, kids, former business partners, parents, siblings. ‘Do X or so and so goes to the big house for 25 years’. Doesn’t Boehners new SIL have a conviction for some sort of weed distribution? Wonder if it was more than that before bonehead played ball.

[Drill Thrawl]

Bluffdale facility logo found.

[Carry_Okie]

We’ll never know how much extortion there is in government. What we do know is that we have to nominate leaders with spotless records.

[Black Agnes]

But something changed in ‘07. Something critical. It’s fair to assume they’ve been around for decades. With a black budget. For decades.

Congressional leadership is the only thing that changed in ‘07 that I’m aware of. I suspect all this would have been implemented earlier had Bush and congress not been pubbie or nearly so starting in ‘01.

This would seem to be just an extension, based on newer technology, of the snooping and sniffing the toon was doing in the 90’s.

[Black Agnes]

And spotless children. And spotless parents. And spotless siblings. And spotless inlaws.

That’s like throwing 23yr old virgins in volcanos. Not a great basis for long term strategy.

[Drill Thrawl]

Seen on Facebook...

[yorkiemom]

As bad as all of these stories are, I believe it is only skimming the surface as to what is REALLY going on behind the scenes.

Ditto. Big Brother is alive and well, and is just working behind the scenes. For now.

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

I know you think this all started with Bush but it goes back way further than that.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Assistance_for_Law_Enforcement_Act

Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act

Provisions of CALEA

Technical implementation

Controversy

Lawsuits

See also

References

Further reading

Read in another language

Last modified 2 months ago

The Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) is a United States wiretapping law passed in 1994, during the presidency of Bill Clinton (Pub. L. No. 103-414, 108 Stat. 4279, codified at 47 USC 1001-1010).

CALEA’s purpose is to enhance the ability of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to conduct electronic surveillance by requiring that telecommunications carriers and manufacturers of telecommunications equipment modify and design their equipment, facilities, and services to ensure that they have built-in surveillance capabilities, allowing federal agencies to monitor all telephone, broadband internet, and VoIP traffic in real-time.

The original reason for adopting CALEA was the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s worry that increasing use of digital telephone exchange switches would make tapping phones at the phone company’s central office harder and slower to execute, or in some cases impossible. Since the original requirement to add CALEA-compliant interfaces required phone companies to modify or replace hardware and software in their systems, U.S. Congress included funding for a limited time period to cover such network upgrades. CALEA was passed into law on October 25, 1994 and came into force on January 1, 1995.

[unixfox]

Trust the government?

Ask an Indian.

[Carry_Okie]

But something changed in ‘07. Something critical.

Not really. Remember Echelon under Clinton?

[Carry_Okie]

Not a great basis for long term strategy.

If we don't do it in the short term, there won't be a long term. There may not be anyway if the immigration bill passes.

[jwalsh07]

Fascism has come to Amerika. And it is ugly.

[Carry_Okie]

Not a great basis for long term strategy.

LOL, see post 75.

[lonevoice]

[wrencher]

I think secession ala the Soviet Union is a best case scenario, that was more or less peaceful. I doubt that will happen here.

For the paranoid, get yourself a CD or USB with TAILS. https://tails.boum.org/ Boot off that when you want to use the Internet.