NSA and social media

[Kadarin]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/u...orks-of-us-citizens.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&

This just keeps getting worse and worse; Keith Alexander and crew are out of control.

Slashdot commentary: http://news.slashdot.org/story/13/0...nsa-mapping-social-connections-of-us-citizens

At this point you have to assume that anything and everything you do online is tracked and indexed by the NSA, without oversight. And you have to assume that this information will be given to law enforcement agencies at will.

I miss the idea of a free America.

 

[michal1980]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/u...orks-of-us-citizens.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&

This just keeps getting worse and worse; Keith Alexander and crew are out of control.

Slashdot commentary: http://news.slashdot.org/story/13/0...nsa-mapping-social-connections-of-us-citizens

At this point you have to assume that anything and everything you do online is tracked and indexed by the NSA, without oversight. And you have to assume that this information will be given to law enforcement agencies at will.

I miss the idea of a free America.

Well Obama's admin did say the greatest terrorist threat is from within. Just follows they would have unprecedented spying of the American people. And laws? Fuck Laws, Obama will just ignore any law that stands in his way.

 

[Doppel]

The 4th amendment does not exist with electronic data, apparently.

 

[Brian Stirling]

I expect the first round of posts from the supporters of these tactics anytime...


Anyone the Facebooks has had to know that everything they put on their page is being logged by:

Facebook, your employer, the stalker down the road, the NSA and every other police agency larger than Mayberry.


I don't care where you ate lunch, I really don't...


Brian

 

[spidey07]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/u...orks-of-us-citizens.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&

This just keeps getting worse and worse; Keith Alexander and crew are out of control.

Slashdot commentary: http://news.slashdot.org/story/13/0...nsa-mapping-social-connections-of-us-citizens

At this point you have to assume that anything and everything you do online is tracked and indexed by the NSA, without oversight. And you have to assume that this information will be given to law enforcement agencies at will.

I miss the idea of a free America.

I don't see how this would be of any surprise. You put it out there on a PUBLIC network, it is accessible by anybody and everybody. Facebook is the greatest info gathering tool there is for the government and folks do so willingly.

 

[spidey07]

The 4th amendment does not exist with electronic data, apparently.

The Internet is a public network, as such anything on it is public information/data.

 

[woolfe9998]

This story is not new, except for the social media aspect of it. Everything else has been covered before. So far as social media, Spidey is correct here. It's public data.

I recall last year that a private research group used bots to gather all sorts of data from social media about things people liked, disliked, etc. and published the results. It's no better or worse if NSA is doing it. It's all public data either way. If you don't want NSA or anyone else for that matter knowing all sorts of crap about you, then don't put stuff up on facebook. I don't for that very reason.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

The Internet is a public network, as such anything on it is public information/data.

The outside air is a "public network" - does that mean microphone and advanced secret security 1080p camera's can be placed on you 24/7? Is that still freedom because what you said was in the "public"?

 

[michal1980]

This story is not new, except for the social media aspect of it. Everything else has been covered before. So far as social media, Spidey is correct here. It's public data.

I recall last year that a private research group used bots to gather all sorts of data from social media about things people liked, disliked, etc. and published the results. It's no better or worse if NSA is doing it. It's all public data either way. If you don't want NSA or anyone else for that matter knowing all sorts of crap about you, then don't put stuff up on facebook. I don't for that very reason.

you'd be wrong. Social Media isn't public space. Most are private business that just so happen to have public access. You don't have freedom of speech there, so I do not see why it should be expected the government can freely spy there.

 

[Zaap]

The outside air is a "public network" - does that mean microphone and advanced secret security 1080p camera's can be placed on you 24/7? Is that still freedom because what you said was in the "public"?

You willingly post things online. Yes, it's public.

Someone taping you without your knowledge isn't quite the same thing. However: let's say you're walking down the street and something goes down- a crime/terrorist act/whatever- and it's recorded on nearby ATM cameras, other people's cellphones, etc.

Guess what- law enforcement agencies are going to be reviewing all the footage it can get its hands on- with you in it, doing whatever it was you were doing- and there's not too much you can do about it.

So basically- there ARE cameras and mics around recording you way more often than you probably realize. Just a fact of life.


Anyway, in general it amazes me that anyone in this day and age really believes there's any real privacy on the Internet, or even sillier, that there's some guarantee of it.

For the most part, probably no govt. agency will ever pick through people's crap online because there's no real reason to- but the second someone becomes a main suspect in some high-profile national case, yes, EVERYTHING you ever put on the Internet is up for grabs.

Personally, I don't particularly care for that fact, but it is a fact.

 

[Zaap]

you'd be wrong. Social Media isn't public space. Most are private business that just so happen to have public access. You don't have freedom of speech there, so I do not see why it should be expected the government can freely spy there.

If the NSA feels it has reason to take a good close look at you, then he's right- one of the first things they are going to do is pull your facebook crap. Count on it.

And they won't give a flying F about whether you define it as public, private or anything else, the distinction simply won't concern them in the least.

Like I say, I don't particularly like our government exercising power like that (since it's out of control and untrustworthy and shouldn't be trusted with anywhere near the amount of power it's granted to itself in the course of time) but again, what I may like or dislike doesn't change reality.

 

[woolfe9998]

you'd be wrong. Social Media isn't public space. Most are private business that just so happen to have public access. You don't have freedom of speech there, so I do not see why it should be expected the government can freely spy there.

There's no information provided in the OP's article indicating that anything non-public in social media is being accessed. What the NYT article says is that public data from social media is being correlated with data obtained through private channels (i.e. phone records and other things we already know about) to create social profiles of certain individuals. So far as I can see, nothing new of any legal significance is being added to what we already know.

 

[spidey07]

Like I said earlier - facebook is the greatest thing that could ever happen to government keeping tabs on everything you do and who you are connected to. You are willingly putting that information out there knowing it is a PUBLIC network, you have no privacy when you do such. It's a goldmine for them.

I consider this reason #3 why I would never have anything to do with facebook. #1 = I don't want crazy exes contacting me.

 

[Zaap]

This reminds me of people that commit crimes and then are shocked when their cell phone records show up and reveal that they were lying about being somewhere else that kills their alibi.

"What!? Why that's private info! That's between me and a private company providing me with service!"

To which BOTH the government and the private company that fully complied with them in releasing your 'private' data say: keep dreaming.

 

[spidey07]

This reminds me of people that commit crimes and then are shocked when their cell phone records show up and reveal that they were lying about being somewhere else that kills their alibi.

"What!? Why that's private info! That's between me and a private company providing me with service!"

To which BOTH the government and the private company that fully complied with them in releasing your 'private' data say: keep dreaming.

There is a difference however. The phone networks are considered PRIVATE and require a warrant to access Call Detail Records (well they used to before Obama).

The Internet is a PUBLIC network, not PRIVATE.

 

[Zodiark1593]

you'd be wrong. Social Media isn't public space. Most are private business that just so happen to have public access. You don't have freedom of speech there, so I do not see why it should be expected the government can freely spy there.

You have freedom of speech, you can say anything you please. It's just the consequences you have to watch out for. ^_^

 

[Zaap]

There is a difference however. The phone networks are considered PRIVATE and require a warrant to access Call Detail Records (well they used to before Obama).

The Internet is a PUBLIC network, not PRIVATE.

Well, I don't know for sure, but you'd probably need a warrant to pull the part of someone's Facebook page that can only be seen if allowed. BUT- I don't doubt for one second that if someone is of interest to an agency like the NSA that any such needed warrants would be granted in a heartbeat, to look through *anything* the person has ever put on the Internet virtually anywhere, so really, what good is it to think of it as 'private' if it really isn't?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

So what's going to be the next outrage, that the NSA can pick up a phone book and see who your neighbors are?

 

[Nintendesert]

So what's going to be the next outrage, that the NSA can pick up a phone book and see who your neighbors are?

That's not equivocal to what is being done. What this is is equivalent to organized crime investigation whiteboards with known associates and how they're all related. This is all just digital and people are doing it to themselves making law enforcement's job easy.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

So what's going to be the next outrage, that the NSA can pick up a phone book and see who your neighbors are?

That's not the same thing and you know it. The information gathered is far more detailed than that. The NSA has already acted in ways to harm Americans regardless of lies the administration tells, which explains why some don't care now who would have screamed about Bush.

 

[Dari]

Think of the terrorists...

 

[ch33zw1z]

s'all good. it's for the children, or homeland security, or blah blah blah. No expectation of privacy for you emails, phone calls, etc...our tax dollars at work. yippee.

 

[ch33zw1z]

There is a difference however. The phone networks are considered PRIVATE and require a warrant to access Call Detail Records (well they used to before Obama).

The Internet is a PUBLIC network, not PRIVATE.

Yea, good luck with that.

from the first link:

"The spy agency began allowing the analysis of phone call and e-mail logs in November 2010 to examine Americans’ networks of associations for foreign intelligence purposes after N.S.A. officials lifted restrictions on the practice, according to documents provided by Edward J. Snowden, the former N.S.A. contractor."

Your phone calls are private? what about my emails stored on yahoo's privately owned servers which I access via HTTPS?

None of it is private anymore, man.

 

[Gintaras]

Well Obama's admin did say the greatest terrorist threat is from within. Just follows they would have unprecedented spying of the American people. And laws? Fuck Laws, Obama will just ignore any law that stands in his way.

Why to blame Obama?

 

[Gintaras]

Think of the terrorists...

Who are they?