PRISM: NSA/FBI Internet data mining project

Fri Jun 7 06:34:00 UTC 2013

The "oh well, it happens, who cares, guess you need PGP" comments on
this thread are idiotic. Some of you would benefit from reading the text
of the 4th Amendment:

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers,
and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be
violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause,
supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place
to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized"

The Washington Post mentioned some "safeguards"... but those were
pathetic. Why? They seemed to be similar to the following analogy:
"we'll keep that video camera in your home, recording your every move,
and we promise we'll close our eyes when reviewing the tape whenever it
shows you naked". THAT is essentially what they're saying. The access
described by both the Washington Post and The Guardian is essentially
unfettered/unmetered/unmonitored.

Just as a doctors take the "hippocratic oath" to maintain decent
standards which are to the benefit of modern civilization... shouldn't
IT/Networking/Internet professionals (NANOG readers!!!) have standards
that, hopefully, distinguishes us from... say... the State-run ISP of
North Korea.

And if these allegations are true... then...

I have a difficult time believing that there was no "quid pro quo"
involved. Especially since such companies risk a backlash and huge loss
of customers if/when this gets out. So I don't think they'd do this
without some kind of return in favor. Did they get special tax
treatment? Tarp money of any kind (maybe to a parent company)? Easing of
regulation enforcement?

If there was "quid pro quo", then what a bunch of F'ing whores, selling
their own customers down the river... to make a buck... and potentially
contributing to a future tyranny. Sure, the US government probably only
use this to catch the bad guys today... but what would a *corrupt*
adminstration do with such data in the future... stick the IRS on their
political enemies? (oh, wait, that just happened... hmmmm)

-- 
Rob McEwen
http://dnsbl.invaluement.com/
rob at invaluement.com
+1 (478) 475-932