NSA Surveillance

[Tash8]

Now that the story's come out and we officially know that the government is spying on our emails, phone calls and etc. What's on your mind?

[AbramIsaac]

It's something most people that know anything about the Patriot Act and the NSA probably already knew. I'm not surprised at all, though it does make me feel a little disappointed. Such is the way things have been since 9/11 though, and it's very unlikely that it will ever change now. Obama had the chance to not sign off on the renewal of the Patriot Act, and instead opted to expand it. Privacy is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

I was more surprised that Verizon actually handed over all of the metadata information for every Verizon Wireless customer in the United States. The defense was that it was "public information"...yeah, bullshit. Go ahead and call Verizon, see if they'll give you the metadata for your girlfriend's phone number. You know, who she called, when she called them, where she was, how long the call lasted, etc. Something tells me they might find that to be bordering on the edge of unethical, or at least that's what they would say.

While it's true that the metadata supposedly didn't include names and addresses, it's still a reason to not do business with a company that doesn't value your privacy at all. If I had to make a guess, I would say that they went along with the request to avoid pressure in the future from the FCC over their plans for expansion.

[Atone]

I'm not worried, i don't use my e-mail, i don't say anything that can criminalize me on the phone, i have nothing to hide

[BigBoss]

As long as you're not a fuckin tard then who cares.. if you're enough of a dipshit to put things that will get you into trouble online then you probably deserve it.

[AbramIsaac]

As long as you're not a fuckin tard then who cares.. if you're enough of a dipshit to put things that will get you into trouble online then you probably deserve it.

I'm not worried, i don't use my e-mail, i don't say anything that can criminalize me on the phone, i have nothing to hide

It's not really about being scared of getting caught doing something, it's about the principle of agencies that are paid for by our tax dollars spying on us without our consent. It's about the erosion of our right to privacy. It's also about keeping these agencies in check; today they are looking for terrorists, but someday the word "terrorist" might simply mean someone who speaks out in a negative way about what's going on in the world.

It's not that far fetched, unfortunately the US has done such things before.

[iHeart]

This isn't new. Has no one read 1984?

[BigBoss]

This isn't new. Has no one read 1984?

The day we finished reading that book in my senior high school class my teacher put a dvd in and skimmed through videos from a secret camera he put in the vent, basically had footage of everything we did that year. He said most teachers did that.

Mfw

[Sam.]

Monitoring such a huge population is not going to be easy. Technically, monetarily, it's going to be a huge risk. This is definitely an act of being so paranoid that you don't trust the same people that you once sworn to protect. Freedom had shed the word 'personal' from it's definition. This is not right.

[UofLCard]

As long as you're not a fuckin tard then who cares.. if you're enough of a dipshit to put things that will get you into trouble online then you probably deserve it.

Agreed. If you're stupid enough to talk about or publish about illegal activities, I have no sympathy for you if they catch you.

[AbramIsaac]

Monitoring private phone conversations and emails is not an acceptable means to keep an entire population in check. It's not about fear, it's about principle. I don't give a fuck if you're discussing Aunt Sally's recipe for apple pie, it's not the business of the government if it's a private conversation, and they should butt the fuck out.

[Tash8]

Is this just the US or everywhere? I never heard about this..is there a link I can read?

Hell no. Foreigners were the first to be spied on. Americans were cool with that, because as long as it's not as us it's cool. But now that Verizon has given all its metadata to the Gov. The fact that all these huge companies like google, yahoo, doubleclick know more about you than you do. You guys might think this wont lead to a huge problem but it can. Just Like Abram said "today they are looking for terrorists, but someday the word "terrorist" might simply mean someone who speaks out in a negative way about what's going on in the world." Shit is already happening in Turkey, Syria, China, Russia, and the US will soon follow.

here's a link to the article:
http://news.yahoo.com/us-spy-programs-r ... 49299.html

I hope the guy that released this info is praised as a hero and not a traitor like Bradley Manning was.

[viJilance]

too bad most of you 1990's kids don't remember the "wild west" of the internet age.

[Tash8]

Yes but you didn't know that the Government was too. Here's the issue, this needed to be a public debate. If it is truly for security then most americans might have been okay with that. The fact that they kept it hidden makes me believe something else is going on. If they had come out and said we are going to monitor the internet, telephones, and etc for keywords in search for Terrorism, Americans might have approved. But now it's a scandal, and with Obama as president, with the IRS issue, the Benghazi issue, this is ruining a presidency that was supposed to result in changes for good.

[iHeart]

This isn't new. Has no one read 1984?

The day we finished reading that book in my senior high school class my teacher put a dvd in and skimmed through videos from a secret camera he put in the vent, basically had footage of everything we did that year. He said most teachers did that.

Mfw

Really? :/ Wow, is that even allowed?? That is creepy!

[B.A.D.]

But when "you" (you all) say spying on us, how exactly do you mean it?.. I dont know if someone would be bothered to go through my dozens of emails about pure nonsense or personal uninteresting stuff just to find out if I have some 'plan' against the government or something... Same with phone calls, if they would offer me a job as a people spy I would say fuck no. That shit would be boring as hell.

Excuse me sir, we have to conect to a phone call being made in Arizona, it might be harmfull.... tunning in...

'hey ma, did u bought the croissant from auntie annies'
"Its not a croissant, its a Pretzel"
'same shit'
"tell that to the germans, they'll slap your ass"

Sir.. Sir!!!! They said Germans..
Oh Fuck.. keep tunning in....

'but yeah I bought it'
"cool beans, looking forward. Thanks mom"

Nevermind... next phone call

you know what I mean?