Senator Wyden Reflects on 9/11's Legacy: Mass Surveillance (fastcompany.com) 26
"After 9/11, I took the threat of terrorism seriously, still do," U.S. Senator Ron Wyden tells Fast Company. "But also I was concerned about how the new surveillance authorities might be abused..."
From Fast Company's report: After the 9/11 attacks, one big concern was connecting the dots. Failing to do so was why we missed the warning signs of the attacks and how we would prevent the next ones, the thinking went. One solution, according to the Pentagon, was a project to gather as much data as possible, to look for signs of future bad behavior. It was called Total Information Awareness...
Since the 1970s, Congress has been charged with preventing further abuse of the government's surveillance powers, particularly when it comes to spying on Americans. And few in Congress have questioned these powers as vigorously as Sen. Ron Wyden...
Sen. Wyden: Total Information Awareness was an ominous sounding idea to put together as much data on Americans as possible, and when used with what was then so-called predictive technology, identify who to watch as a way to stop terrorism. In the fight in Congress, here's the lesson that goes to the concerns we had 20 years ago: Total Information Awareness made it clear that the threat is not just surveillance through the aggressive collection, amalgamating, and mining of information through existing authorities. The bigger problem now is the amount of data on Americans that's available commercially or on social media... the threat to people's privacy is just as great. And the job of getting people's attention is still very, very challenging...
This is a national security issue: The personal data of Americans that the data brokers are selling is a gold mine for foreign intelligence services who can exploit it, to target supercharged hacking, blackmail, and influence campaigns. So I'm leading an effort right now that encompasses the biggest online advertising companies, to ask if they're sharing Americans' web browsing and location data with foreign companies.
From Fast Company's report: After the 9/11 attacks, one big concern was connecting the dots. Failing to do so was why we missed the warning signs of the attacks and how we would prevent the next ones, the thinking went. One solution, according to the Pentagon, was a project to gather as much data as possible, to look for signs of future bad behavior. It was called Total Information Awareness...
Since the 1970s, Congress has been charged with preventing further abuse of the government's surveillance powers, particularly when it comes to spying on Americans. And few in Congress have questioned these powers as vigorously as Sen. Ron Wyden...
Sen. Wyden: Total Information Awareness was an ominous sounding idea to put together as much data on Americans as possible, and when used with what was then so-called predictive technology, identify who to watch as a way to stop terrorism. In the fight in Congress, here's the lesson that goes to the concerns we had 20 years ago: Total Information Awareness made it clear that the threat is not just surveillance through the aggressive collection, amalgamating, and mining of information through existing authorities. The bigger problem now is the amount of data on Americans that's available commercially or on social media... the threat to people's privacy is just as great. And the job of getting people's attention is still very, very challenging...
This is a national security issue: The personal data of Americans that the data brokers are selling is a gold mine for foreign intelligence services who can exploit it, to target supercharged hacking, blackmail, and influence campaigns. So I'm leading an effort right now that encompasses the biggest online advertising companies, to ask if they're sharing Americans' web browsing and location data with foreign companies.
Did he vote to invade Afghanistan? (Score:2, Insightful)
If yes, then he's full of it... Barbara Lee is the only voice to listen to.
Re:Did he vote to invade Afghanistan? (Score:4, Insightful)
Patriot act (Score:5, Interesting)
I've been saying for years that its time to do away with the patriot act. Completely outdated and not needed, written in haste and abused like hell. Sadly power is never given up. As for the "Patriot Act" name? Look at what Goering said:
"Goering told him that âoevoice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.â"
They learned from the best -- an American by the name of Edward Bernays. Look it up.
Re:Patriot act (Score:4, Insightful)
Careful what you say, citizen. You could be carted away and tortured to death with no record, as authorized by the Fluffy Bunnies and Kittens Act of 2024. Who could possibly vote against these cute little animals?
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Just paperclip your liberty erasing bill to one funding orphanages and you're golden, nobody would dare to veto that.
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Oh, "the Republicans" vetoed bills on giving healthcare to the 9/11 rescuers and to veterans "because Obama". Oh and on "Obamacare", despite originally having been introduced by Mitt Romney.
I put "the Republicans" in quote, because actually, they are Darth Cheney's old boys club of complete nutters that invaded the party back then. I don't wanna insult and Republicans by being compared to those types.
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I put "the Republicans" in quote, because actually, they are Darth Cheney's old boys club of complete nutters that invaded the party back then. I don't wanna insult and Republicans by being compared to those types.
The allegedly-true republicans support those allegedly-false republicans, which is why they're all true republicans. Can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.
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Bonus points if the orphanages abuse the children, kick them to the curb at 18, and pick them up almost immediately and cart them off to prison.
Re: Patriot act (Score:3)
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As Joe pointed out, it wasn't written in haste. He had written most of it years ago, after the Oklahoma City bombing, and was just waiting for something to happen to get the support to pass it. Being the drug warrior that he is, I doubt it came as a surprise it was overwhelmingly used for drug cases instead of terror cases, and they're certainly not ready to give up the war on drugs.
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I wish you had posted under your username so I could thank you for the (civil) correction.
of course they are (Score:2)
The idea that anything can be available commercially and yet be kept from foreign companies is absurd. Most companies of any significance are international to begin with. In addition, it is trivial to get corporate spies employed at any American company.
They don't even need to be foreigners. Many Americans would be happy to make a buck by copying the data their company's purchased and selling it to any unknown on the internet. I guess this is less likely if it is a national secret, but nobody would consider
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The idea that anything can be available commercially and yet be kept from foreign companies is absurd.
Perhaps. But even if we can't prevent it, perhaps we can formally make it illegal and have tangible consequences for people or corporations are caught selling or otherwise providing it to foreign companies.
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"...if they're sharing Americans' web browsing and location data with foreign companies..."
Well, if it's a problem, but it's not illegal, it's not actually seen as a problem by the US Government.
So...
??
Change unseen. (Score:4, Informative)
How 9/11 Changed Skyscraper Design - Cheddar Explains [youtu.be]
Couldn't have destroyed ourselves as much... (Score:1)
... as we did, and still do ourselves.
Culture-wise, it feels like the Roman empire shortly before its end.
One of the reasons... (Score:2)