Whistleblower: The NSA is Lying -- The U.S. Government Has Copies of Most of Your Emails

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/rights/155084/whistleblower%3A_the_nsa_is_lying_--_the_u.s._government_has_copies_of_most_of_your_emails/


National Security Agency whistleblower William Binney reveals he believes domestic surveillance has become more expansive under President Obama than President George W. Bush. He estimates the NSA has assembled 20 trillion "transactions" — phone calls, emails and other forms of data — from Americans. This likely includes copies of almost all of the emails sent and received from most people living in the United States. Binney talks about Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and challenges NSA Director Keith Alexander’s assertion that the NSA is not intercepting information about U.S. citizens.This interview is part of a 4-part special. Click here to see segment 1, 2, and 4.

(Editor's note: Also interviewed are Laura Poitras, the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, and Jacob Appelbaum, a computer security researcher who has volunteered with WikiLeaks. Both Poitras and Appelbaum have been repeatedly detained and interrogated by federal agents when entering the United States. Their laptops, cameras and cell phones have been seized, and presumably their data has been copied.)

JUAN GONZALEZ: Well, I wanted to ask William Binney about this issue. When it comes to snail mail, the old postal system, it’s very tough for the government to intercept mail, except in times of war, particular situations. When it comes to phone conversations, land phone conversations, you need a warrant to be able to intercept phone conversations. But what about email, and what about the communication now that is really the dominant form that not only Americans, but many people around the world communicate? What are the restrictions on the government in terms of email?

WILLIAM BINNEY: Well, after some of the laws they passed, like thePATRIOT Act and their secret interpretation of Section 215, which is—my view, of course, is same as Tom Drake’s, is that that gives them license to take all the commercially held data about us, which is exceedingly dangerous, because if you take that and put it into forms of graphing, which is building relationships or social networks for everybody, and then you watch it over time, you can build up knowledge about everyone in the country. And having that knowledge then allows them the ability to concoct all kinds of charges, if they want to target you. Like in my case, they fabricated several charges and attempted to indict us on them. Fortunately, we were able to produce evidence that would make them look very silly in court, so they didn’t do it. In fact, it was—I was basically assembling evidence of malicious prosecution, which was a countercharge to them. So...

[izquierdista]

1. This could turn out to be very useful

I lost that e-mail from the deputy director of estate accounts at the Royal Bank of Nigeria and have been frantic looking for it.

[madrchsod]

2. what would be the psychical storage space of 20 trillion"transactions"

what would the amount of electrical energy would it take to run a series of storage units. since this monitoring would be going on every second of everyday there would have to be continuing construction of storage facilities.

[liberal N proud]

3. Maybe they can send me the one I accidently deleted 6 years ago.

The one that was a joke I sent to all my family and friends.


This means I can delete all my email, and if I need something, I can contact the NSA and get a copy.

[hlthe2b]

4. I'd love to see about 100 million Amercians flood them with inquiries.

**Mandatory Disclaimer: Agent Mike, I'm not "telling people to do so," not advocating any kind of misdeed, but I am fantasizing about it. **

[ladjf]

5. Anyone who puts confidential information in emails is asking for trouble. And even passwords

and account numbers saved on your hard drives is very risky. The more distrustful you are
regarding INTERNET usage, the better. Study up on it. Use the best anti-virus software possible.

[bemildred]

6. Yep. I assume everything I do on the web is copied, multiple times.

Or can be, because it can be.

[sad sally]

7. Domestic surveillance of the American population -

another piece of the ongoing pattern of erosion of basic civil liberties in America in the name of security measures. The war on terrorist will still be going on 100 years from now.

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