Jun 16
Jun 16
US officials say less than 300 phone numbers were investigated in 2012, data thwarted terrorist plots
Posted in: Today's Chili
With all the coverage PRSIM and the NSA’s data collection have been getting recently, it’s no surprise that the US government is eager to rationalize its actions. The crux of the latest defense seems to be that the government isn’t using its treasure trove of data very often: according to recently declassified documents, the NSA used the database to investigate less than 300 phone numbers last year. These efforts reportedly prevented terrorist actions in more than 20 countries.
It’s a small assurance, but a vague one, and the NSA knows it — according to the Associated Press, the organization is trying to get the records of these thwarted plots declassified to demonstrate the program’s value to concerned citizens. The reveal of such data might be a convincing argument, but disquieting revelations continue to roll out: members of congress are now reporting that the NSA has acknowledged that it does not need court authorization to listen to domestic phone calls. Either way, we’re certainly open to more government transparency.
Source: AP
Jun 16
There’s been a lot of talk about the NSA and its data-gathering policies. The news sounds kind of scary. But you might be thinking that the NSA can’t have literally every foreign and domestic call made in the U.S.. That would be a crazy amount of data right? Well, yes it would be, and it kind of seems like they have it. Or at least could afford to keep it if they wanted to.
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Jun 16
Jun 16
By The Way, The NSA Doesn’t Need A Warrant To Listen To Your Calls (Updated)
Posted in: Today's Chili
Update: CNET has since updated its story to reflect that the government does, in fact, need a warrant to listen to your phone calls.
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Jun 15
The NSA’s high-tech, new school surveillance system has been getting a whole lot of attention lately, but their old-school digs are worth a look as well. The agency has been around since the 1950s, originally tasked with cracking wartime codes, the NSA’s gear has always been cutting edge, and the old stuff is amazing and funny to look at now.
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Jun 15
Great news: half our senators skipped out on a briefing about NSA snooping so they could get home so
Posted in: Today's ChiliGreat news: half our senators skipped out on a briefing about NSA snooping so they could get home sooner!
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Jun 14
Google, Twitter push to reveal number of national security related requests separately
Posted in: Today's Chili
While Microsoft and Facebook have both published information tonight about how many requests for customer info the government made over a six month period, Google and Twitter are apparently hoping to take a different route. As Google told AllThingsD and Twitter legal director Benjamin Lee tweeted, “it’s important to be able to publish numbers of national security requests-including FISA disclosures-separately.” Google went further, claiming that lumping the number of National Security Letters together with criminal requests would be a “step backwards.” Clearly this post-PRISM revelations battle for more transparency on just what the government is doing behind the scenes isn’t over, we’ll let you know if any of the parties involved have more information to share.
Source: AllThingsD, Benjamin Lee (Twitter), Google (Google+)
Jun 14
Facebook reveals government data request numbers, is first to include national security stats
Posted in: Today's Chili
Facebook lawyer Ted Ullyot revealed in a post tonight precisely how many user-data requests it receives from government entities, and that it’s negotiated the ability to include national security-related (FISA and National Security Letters) inquiries in the report. Until now, the companies that receive such requests, whether through the recently uncovered PRISM program or not, have not been able to say anything about them, or report how many there are. Still, the stats it’s able to release aren’t specific, and include all requests from the last six months in a range, said to be between 9,000 and 10,000, covering between 18,000 and 19,000 accounts. We still have no official reports on what those inquiries cover, how wide reaching a single one can be or what information has been passed along. Facebook however, is quick to point out that these cover “only a tiny fraction of one percent” of its 1.1 billion active user accounts.
Along with Microsoft and Google, Facebook has publicly petitioned the government to let it be more transparent about the size and scope of the requests it receives, and Reuters reports tonight that “several” internet companies have struck an agreement to do so. Expect more reports to arrive soon in similar formats, however Ullyot states Facebook will continue to push the government to be “as transparent as possible.”
For the six months ending December 31, 2012, the total number of user-data requests Facebook received from any and all government entities in the U.S. (including local, state, and federal, and including criminal and national security-related requests) – was between 9,000 and 10,000. These requests run the gamut – from things like a local sheriff trying to find a missing child, to a federal marshal tracking a fugitive, to a police department investigating an assault, to a national security official investigating a terrorist threat. The total number of Facebook user accounts for which data was requested pursuant to the entirety of those 9-10 thousand requests was between 18,000 and 19,000 accounts.
Filed under: Microsoft, Google, Facebook
Source: Facebook
Jun 14
While everyone’s skeptical
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