13 Things the Government Is Trying to Hide from You

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/13-things-government-trying-hide-you



***SNIP

1. The government seizes and searches all Internet and text communications which enter or leave the US.

On August 8, 2013, the New York Times reported that the NSA secretly collects virtually all international email and text communications which cross the US borders in or out. As the ACLU says, “the NSA thinks it’s okay to intercept and then read Americans’ emails, so long as it does so really quickly. But that is not how the Fourth Amendment works…the invasion of Americans’ privacy is real and immediate.”

2. The government created and maintains secret backdoor access into all databases in order to search for information on US citizens.

On August 9, 2013, the Guardian revealed yet another Edward Snowden leaked document which points out “the National Security Agency has a secret backdoor into its vast databases under a legal authority enabling it to search for US citizens’ email and phone calls without a warrant.” This is a new set of secrets about surveillance of people in the US. This new policy of 2011 allows searching by US person names and identifiers when the NSA is collecting data. The document declares that analysts should not implement these queries until an oversight process has been developed. No word on whether such a process was developed or not.

3. The government operates a vast database which allows it to sift through millions of records on the Internet to show nearly everything a person does.

Recent disclosures by Snowden and Glenn Greenwald of the Guardian demonstrate the NSA operates a massive surveillance program called XKeyscore. The surveillance program has since been confirmed by other CIA officials. It allows the government to enter a person’s name or other question into the program and sift through oceans of data to produce everything there is on the Internet by or about that person or other search term.

4. The government has a special court which meets in secret to authorize access for the FBI and other investigators to millions and millions of US phone, text, email and business records.

There is a special court of federal judges which meets in secret to authorize the government to gather and review millions and millions of phone and Internet records. This court, called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA court), allows government lawyers to come before them in secret, with no representatives of the public or press or defense counsel allowed, to argue unopposed for more and more surveillance. This is the court which, in just one of its thousands of rulings, authorized the handing over of all call data created by Verizon within the US and between the US and abroad to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The public would never have known about the massive surveillance without the leaked documents from Snowden.

[cantbeserious]

1. When First We Practice To Deceive ...

eom

[Dustlawyer]

2. Anyone wish to blame Snowden now for running from the U.S?

I'm sure there is, but I don't!

[annabanana]

3. kicks required on a regular basis . . .n/t

[OnyxCollie]

4. K&R. nt

[RC]

5. The drip, drip, drip, is becoming a steady stream.

I wonder how the 'NSA is doing nothing wrong' crowd will spin this?

[Jackpine Radical]

10. a) There is no proof that any of this is happening.

b) You have nothing to fear if you're not doing anything wrong.

c) Would you rather we just quit watching the terrorists & let them take over?

d) Why are you on a Democratic board if you hate Democrats?

e) Greenwald is a narcissistic pig.

f) Snowden defected to China & Russia. What does that tell you?

[font color=blue]{{17 links to irrelevant threads}}[/font]

OK, that's a start.

[pocoloco]

11. Who's feeding you this shit?

Who are you listening to?

They have shit for brains!
Wake up before you catch their disease!

Surely you are smarter than this?

[Jackpine Radical]

12. Jeez--I'm getting good at this.

I nailed the Poe Effect right out of the box.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_law

If you want to know my actual sentiments, try this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023503988

[RC]

13. I guess that response was obvious.

BTY, they seem to be sleeping in this morning. Or are most of them at an emergency damage control meeting at the moment?

[bvar22]

15. Its always quietest...

...just before the NEW Talking Points arrive.

[RC]

16. Unless I am missing something, it is still quiet.

They must be having a hard time coming up with a new set of talking points to cover the latest revelations.

[bvar22]

17. Could be a scheduling mistake.

GOT to be getting tired with all the long hours lately.

[RC]

20. That could be.

One would think there would be point where reality would intrude to such a point, where it would be just too much trouble to keep up the ruse. One can hope. Or is that change too much to hope for too?

[roody]

6. I need them to find my lost car key.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

7. It's alright if we stay unified.

[bvar22]

14. ^^^A classic case of Party over Principle ^^^

*

[Hotler]

8. I have no hope. I see no future. n/t

[xchrom]

9. hey hotler!

[enigmatic]

18. The answer is this

Have hope (and push for) core ideals rather politicians; that should be the goal. Your core ideals as a human should be what drives you to make your life (and everyone's life) better.

You can lock up a man or woman, but you can't lock up an idea.

[indepat]

19. We can all take comfort that neither this administration nor any future administration will

ever use any unconstitutionally obtained information to teach some unsuspecting individual a good lesson. No Sir!

[awoke_in_2003]

21. Marking for later. nt