Posted on 06/06/2013 5:53:04 PM PDT by kristinn
The National Security Agency's monitoring of Americans includes customer records from the three major phone networks as well as emails and Web searches, and the agency also has cataloged credit-card transactions, said people familiar with the agency's activities.
The disclosure this week of an order by a secret U.S. court for Verizon Communications Inc.'s phone records set off the latest public discussion of the program. But people familiar with the NSA's operations said the initiative also encompasses phone-call data from AT&T Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp., records from Internet-service providers and purchase information from credit-card providers.
The agency is using its secret access to the communications of millions of Americans to target possible terrorists, said people familiar with the effort.
The NSA's efforts have become institutionalized—yet not so well known to the public—under laws passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Most members of Congress defended them Thursday as a way to root out terrorism, but civil-liberties groups decried the program.
"Everyone should just calm down and understand this isn't anything that is brand new,'' said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.), who added that the phone-data program has "worked to prevent'' terrorist attacks.
Senate Intelligence Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) said the program is lawful and that it must be renewed by Congress every three months. She said the revelation about Verizon, reported by the London-based newspaper the Guardian, seemed to coincide with its latest renewal.
Civil-liberties advocates slammed the NSA's actions. "The most recent surveillance program is breathtaking. It shows absolutely no effort to narrow or tailor the surveillance of citizens," said Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law expert at George Washington University.
The arrangement with the country's three largest phone companies means that every time the majority of Americans makes a call, NSA
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Both parties are complicit in the police state. The citizens have lost control of their government. I’m sure everybody here knows the word for that.
If Rand Paul or Ted Cruz (or another true crusader to win our civil liberties back) is not president come 2017, this country is dead.
Our government overlords are sure doing a lot of data mining after the Boston bombings, aren’t they. And here I thought we had nothing to worry about. Those two were self radicalized lone wolfs who were just acting out because they were oppressed minorities trying to make in the jingoistic environment they found themselves in. Janet Napolitano said this was an isolated incident. I’m so confused /sarc :D
No only obama but there should also be a live feed set up in every Congressperson’s office. What each government agency spends should be put online and updated at least once a week with details of where every penny goes.
Be careful! They may link the spatula to making margaritas and thus try to say you have the mental disorder of alcoholism and thus try to take your guns....
Your right. Americans still have way too much to lose before they rise up and do anything about what is going on. Only when the health care is denied and the benefits stop will they do something and then it will be way too late, it might be too late already.
I don't care about the reciprocity. I want to see the warrants.
I keep noticing that things that are getting leaked have a start date under Bush.
If data from illegal (by which I mean, non-fourth-amendment compliant) searches led to IRS/EPA/OSHA harassment or was disclosed to Leftist organizations illegally, I think he’s gone.
That is, of course, if the House GOP mounts a proper investigation.
I know, I know, if your uncle had ovaries, he’d...
Fake Photographs.
Fake Biographies.
Fake Birth Certificates.
Fake Social Security Number.
Fake University Records.
Fake Parentage.
Fake Marriage.
Fake Religion.
Is there no end to the deception? Will the nightmare ever end?
COMRADES! Do your duty!
Get your Google Glasses today, and begin spying on your neighbors.
Dear Leader is depending on you!
Interesting to note if you are obedient to the Lord—including repentance and turning from sin—you’ll not be worried about what the NSA has on you.
I was thinking that same thing this morning!
Deflection?
Then I’m a big red flag. And so is anyone else trying to go Galt. So be it.
Google glass is creepy. I hope they all get brain cancer from using it.
I had to change the password on my Yahoo email because they detected it was accessed twice by someone in Indonesia and once by someone in Japan.
Damned right!
It's time to fire both parties!
LOL, I need to make sure my CTRL+C actually works before pasting a comment.
All work and no play make Jack a dull boy
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