Hempkat your right that people need to get out and vote. However folks need more options. Unfortunately in the USA it requires a shit load of cash to get elected. Independents are the answer if they can get the publicity. USA needs high profile independent people sitting in the house who will ask the hard questions and not vote according to party dogma. Wishful thinking i know but possible. You dont need to control the house, you just need the balance of power.
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U.S. Government spying on entire U.S., to nobody's surprise
- Thread starter frito bandito
- Start date
- Status
Hempkat your right that people need to get out and vote. However folks need more options. Unfortunately in the USA it requires a shit load of cash to get elected. Independents are the answer if they can get the publicity. USA needs high profile independent people sitting in the house who will ask the hard questions and not vote according to party dogma. Wishful thinking i know but possible. You dont need to control the house, you just need the balance of power.
whether the government is fucked up or not, it is the only thing that can stand up to religious rule, which is what would end up replacing the gov.
frito bandito
Member
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162...requests-for-info-from-govt-in-last-6-months/
And yet last week they denied giving any data at all! Fucking liars.
And yet last week they denied giving any data at all! Fucking liars.
Thousands Of Firms Trade Confidential Data With The US Government In Exchange For Classified Intelligence
The rabbit hole just got deeper. A whole lot deeper.
On Sunday we predicated that "there's one reason why the administration, James Clapper and the NSA should just keep their mouths shut as the PRISM-gate fallout escalates: with every incremental attempt to refute some previously unknown facet of the US Big Brother state, a new piece of previously unleaked information from the same intelligence organization now scrambling for damage control, emerges and exposes the brand new narrative as yet another lie, forcing even more lies, more retribution against sources, more journalist persecution and so on."
And like a hole that just gets deeper the more you dug and exposes ever more dirt, tonight's installment revealing one more facet of the conversion of a once great republic into a great fascist, "big brother" state, comes from Bloomberg which reports that "thousands of technology, finance and manufacturing companies are working closely with U.S. national security agencies, providing sensitive information and in return receiving benefits that include access to classified intelligence, four people familiar with the process said."
The companies extend far wider than the legacy telcos, such as Verizon, that launched the entire NSA-spying scandal a week ago: "Makers of hardware and software, banks, Internet security providers, satellite telecommunications companies and many other companies also participate in the government programs. In some cases, the information gathered may be used not just to defend the nation but to help infiltrate computers of its adversaries."
Many of these same Internet and telecommunications companies voluntarily provide U.S. intelligence organizations with additional data, such as equipment specifications, that don’t involve private communications of their customers, the four people said.
And since what goes on behind the scenes is confidential, literally anything goes: "Along with the NSA, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and branches of the U.S. military have agreements with such companies to gather data that might seem innocuous but could be highly useful in the hands of U.S. intelligence or cyber warfare units, according to the people, who have either worked for the government or are in companies that have these accords."
Some of the back and forth is innocuous, such as Microsoft revealing ahead of time the nature of its exposed bugs (ostensibly providing the government with a back door into any system using a Microsoft OS, but since it's don't ask, dont' tell, nobody really knows). However the bulk of the interaction is steeped in secrecy: "Most of the arrangements are so sensitive that only a handful of people in a company know of them, and they are sometimes brokered directly between chief executive officers and the heads of the U.S.’s major spy agencies, the people familiar with those programs said."
More on this "company within a company":
Typically, a key executive at a company and a small number of technical people cooperate with different agencies and sometimes multiple units within an agency, according to the four people who described the arrangements.
If necessary, a company executive, known as a “committing officer,” is given documents that guarantee immunity from civil actions resulting from the transfer of data. The companies are provided with regular updates, which may include the broad parameters of how that information is used.
Remember how they say conspiracies are impossible because too many people know about them, and the information always eventually leaks? Well not if you contain it to a handful of people in any organization, and force them to sign a bloody NDA, pledging one's first born in the case of secrecy breach.
An example of a company that is happy to "communicate" with tht the government is Intel's McAfee internet security unit, which in addition to everything is one giant backdoor entrance for the government. If need be of course:
Intel Corp. (INTC)’s McAfee unit, which makes Internet security software, regularly cooperates with the NSA, FBI and the CIA, for example, and is a valuable partner because of its broad view of malicious Internet traffic, including espionage operations by foreign powers, according to one of the four people, who is familiar with the arrangement.
Such a relationship would start with an approach to McAfee’s chief executive, who would then clear specific individuals to work with investigators or provide the requested data, the person said. The public would be surprised at how much help the government seeks, the person said.
McAfee firewalls collect information on hackers who use legitimate servers to do their work, and the company data can be used to pinpoint where attacks begin. The company also has knowledge of the architecture of information networks worldwide, which may be useful to spy agencies who tap into them, the person said.
Google, another participant in PRISM, already lied about its participation in the covert-op:
Following an attack on his company by Chinese hackers in 2010, Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder, was provided with highly sensitive government intelligence linking the attack to a specific unit of the People’s Liberation Army, China’s military, according to one of the people, who is familiar with the government’s investigation. Brin was given a temporary classified clearance to sit in on the briefing, the person said.
According to information provided by Snowden, Google, owner of the world’s most popular search engine, had at that point been a Prism participant for more than a year.
Google CEO Larry Page said in a blog posting June 7 that he hadn’t heard of a program called Prism until after Snowden’s disclosures and that the Mountain View, California-based company didn’t allow the U.S. government direct access to its servers or some back-door to its data centers. He said Google provides user data to governments “only in accordance with the law.”
Ah yes, the law that no mere mortal can observe in action, and which has zero popular checks and balances. So what specifically does Google provide to the government? "Highly offensive information" it appears.
That metadata includes which version of the operating system, browser and Java software are being used on millions of devices around the world, information that U.S. spy agencies could use to infiltrate those computers or phones and spy on their users.
“It’s highly offensive information,” said Glenn Chisholm, the former chief information officer for Telstra Corp (TLS)., one of Australia’s largest telecommunications companies, contrasting it to defensive information used to protect computers rather than infiltrate them.
Going back to Obama's promise on live TV that nobody was listening in to any conversations, one wonders: why did the major telecom companies "ask for guarantees that they wouldn’t be held liable under U.S. wiretap laws." Because if the companies demanded a waiver, they obviously were wiretapping, i.e., eavesdropping, and doing so on US citizens, or those protected by US laws. And that's why Obama should have just kept his mouth shut, instead of having to explain what he meant and that he never said what he said.
Before they agreed to install the system on their networks, some of the five major Internet companies -- AT&T Inc. (T), Verizon Communications Inc (VZ)., Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), Level 3 Communications Inc (LVLT). and CenturyLink Inc (CTL). -- asked for guarantees that they wouldn’t be held liable under U.S. wiretap laws. Those companies that asked received a letter signed by the U.S. attorney general indicating such exposure didn’t meet the legal definition of a wiretap and granting them immunity from civil lawsuits, the person said.
Ah, the US Attorney General - because what is another Obama scandal that doesn't involve his primary henchman Eric Holder...
Mark Siegel, a spokesman for Dallas-based AT&T, the nation’s biggest
phone carrier, declined to comment. Edward McFadden, a spokesman for
New York-based Verizon, the second-largest phone company, declined to
comment. Scott Sloat, a spokesman for Overland Park, Kansas-based
Sprint, and Monica Martinez, a spokeswoman for Broomfield,
Colorado-based Level 3, didn’t immediately respond to requests for
comment.
No need to comment - it's quite clear.
The last question remains: what do companies get out of this proactive betrayal of their clients? Well, in some cases, such as those of IBM and Amazon as we described yesterday, they get lucrative government (CIA) contracts for billions of dollars. But that's just taxpayer cash. Where it gets worse is when the kickbacks are yet more secrets.
In exchange, leaders of companies are showered with attention and information by the agencies to help maintain the relationship, the person said. In other cases, companies are given quick warnings about threats that could affect their bottom line, including serious Internet attacks and who is behind them.
In other words, what is going on behind the scenes is nothing more than one vast, very selective, extremely secretive, symbiotic and perfectly "legal" giant information exchange network, which allows corporations to profit off classified government information either in kind or in cash, and which allows the government to have all the information at its disposal, collected using public and private venues, in order to protect itself, to take out those it designates as targets, or simply said - to get ever bigger.
The loser in all of this?
You.
The rabbit hole just got deeper. A whole lot deeper.
On Sunday we predicated that "there's one reason why the administration, James Clapper and the NSA should just keep their mouths shut as the PRISM-gate fallout escalates: with every incremental attempt to refute some previously unknown facet of the US Big Brother state, a new piece of previously unleaked information from the same intelligence organization now scrambling for damage control, emerges and exposes the brand new narrative as yet another lie, forcing even more lies, more retribution against sources, more journalist persecution and so on."
And like a hole that just gets deeper the more you dug and exposes ever more dirt, tonight's installment revealing one more facet of the conversion of a once great republic into a great fascist, "big brother" state, comes from Bloomberg which reports that "thousands of technology, finance and manufacturing companies are working closely with U.S. national security agencies, providing sensitive information and in return receiving benefits that include access to classified intelligence, four people familiar with the process said."
The companies extend far wider than the legacy telcos, such as Verizon, that launched the entire NSA-spying scandal a week ago: "Makers of hardware and software, banks, Internet security providers, satellite telecommunications companies and many other companies also participate in the government programs. In some cases, the information gathered may be used not just to defend the nation but to help infiltrate computers of its adversaries."
Many of these same Internet and telecommunications companies voluntarily provide U.S. intelligence organizations with additional data, such as equipment specifications, that don’t involve private communications of their customers, the four people said.
And since what goes on behind the scenes is confidential, literally anything goes: "Along with the NSA, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and branches of the U.S. military have agreements with such companies to gather data that might seem innocuous but could be highly useful in the hands of U.S. intelligence or cyber warfare units, according to the people, who have either worked for the government or are in companies that have these accords."
Some of the back and forth is innocuous, such as Microsoft revealing ahead of time the nature of its exposed bugs (ostensibly providing the government with a back door into any system using a Microsoft OS, but since it's don't ask, dont' tell, nobody really knows). However the bulk of the interaction is steeped in secrecy: "Most of the arrangements are so sensitive that only a handful of people in a company know of them, and they are sometimes brokered directly between chief executive officers and the heads of the U.S.’s major spy agencies, the people familiar with those programs said."
More on this "company within a company":
Typically, a key executive at a company and a small number of technical people cooperate with different agencies and sometimes multiple units within an agency, according to the four people who described the arrangements.
If necessary, a company executive, known as a “committing officer,” is given documents that guarantee immunity from civil actions resulting from the transfer of data. The companies are provided with regular updates, which may include the broad parameters of how that information is used.
Remember how they say conspiracies are impossible because too many people know about them, and the information always eventually leaks? Well not if you contain it to a handful of people in any organization, and force them to sign a bloody NDA, pledging one's first born in the case of secrecy breach.
An example of a company that is happy to "communicate" with tht the government is Intel's McAfee internet security unit, which in addition to everything is one giant backdoor entrance for the government. If need be of course:
Intel Corp. (INTC)’s McAfee unit, which makes Internet security software, regularly cooperates with the NSA, FBI and the CIA, for example, and is a valuable partner because of its broad view of malicious Internet traffic, including espionage operations by foreign powers, according to one of the four people, who is familiar with the arrangement.
Such a relationship would start with an approach to McAfee’s chief executive, who would then clear specific individuals to work with investigators or provide the requested data, the person said. The public would be surprised at how much help the government seeks, the person said.
McAfee firewalls collect information on hackers who use legitimate servers to do their work, and the company data can be used to pinpoint where attacks begin. The company also has knowledge of the architecture of information networks worldwide, which may be useful to spy agencies who tap into them, the person said.
Google, another participant in PRISM, already lied about its participation in the covert-op:
Following an attack on his company by Chinese hackers in 2010, Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder, was provided with highly sensitive government intelligence linking the attack to a specific unit of the People’s Liberation Army, China’s military, according to one of the people, who is familiar with the government’s investigation. Brin was given a temporary classified clearance to sit in on the briefing, the person said.
According to information provided by Snowden, Google, owner of the world’s most popular search engine, had at that point been a Prism participant for more than a year.
Google CEO Larry Page said in a blog posting June 7 that he hadn’t heard of a program called Prism until after Snowden’s disclosures and that the Mountain View, California-based company didn’t allow the U.S. government direct access to its servers or some back-door to its data centers. He said Google provides user data to governments “only in accordance with the law.”
Ah yes, the law that no mere mortal can observe in action, and which has zero popular checks and balances. So what specifically does Google provide to the government? "Highly offensive information" it appears.
That metadata includes which version of the operating system, browser and Java software are being used on millions of devices around the world, information that U.S. spy agencies could use to infiltrate those computers or phones and spy on their users.
“It’s highly offensive information,” said Glenn Chisholm, the former chief information officer for Telstra Corp (TLS)., one of Australia’s largest telecommunications companies, contrasting it to defensive information used to protect computers rather than infiltrate them.
Going back to Obama's promise on live TV that nobody was listening in to any conversations, one wonders: why did the major telecom companies "ask for guarantees that they wouldn’t be held liable under U.S. wiretap laws." Because if the companies demanded a waiver, they obviously were wiretapping, i.e., eavesdropping, and doing so on US citizens, or those protected by US laws. And that's why Obama should have just kept his mouth shut, instead of having to explain what he meant and that he never said what he said.
Before they agreed to install the system on their networks, some of the five major Internet companies -- AT&T Inc. (T), Verizon Communications Inc (VZ)., Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), Level 3 Communications Inc (LVLT). and CenturyLink Inc (CTL). -- asked for guarantees that they wouldn’t be held liable under U.S. wiretap laws. Those companies that asked received a letter signed by the U.S. attorney general indicating such exposure didn’t meet the legal definition of a wiretap and granting them immunity from civil lawsuits, the person said.
Ah, the US Attorney General - because what is another Obama scandal that doesn't involve his primary henchman Eric Holder...
Mark Siegel, a spokesman for Dallas-based AT&T, the nation’s biggest
phone carrier, declined to comment. Edward McFadden, a spokesman for
New York-based Verizon, the second-largest phone company, declined to
comment. Scott Sloat, a spokesman for Overland Park, Kansas-based
Sprint, and Monica Martinez, a spokeswoman for Broomfield,
Colorado-based Level 3, didn’t immediately respond to requests for
comment.
No need to comment - it's quite clear.
The last question remains: what do companies get out of this proactive betrayal of their clients? Well, in some cases, such as those of IBM and Amazon as we described yesterday, they get lucrative government (CIA) contracts for billions of dollars. But that's just taxpayer cash. Where it gets worse is when the kickbacks are yet more secrets.
In exchange, leaders of companies are showered with attention and information by the agencies to help maintain the relationship, the person said. In other cases, companies are given quick warnings about threats that could affect their bottom line, including serious Internet attacks and who is behind them.
In other words, what is going on behind the scenes is nothing more than one vast, very selective, extremely secretive, symbiotic and perfectly "legal" giant information exchange network, which allows corporations to profit off classified government information either in kind or in cash, and which allows the government to have all the information at its disposal, collected using public and private venues, in order to protect itself, to take out those it designates as targets, or simply said - to get ever bigger.
The loser in all of this?
You.
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread953356/pg1
Maxine Waters (D) Reveals Obama's "Big Brother" Data Base
Maxine Waters (D) Reveals Obama's "Big Brother" Data Base
thanks Bentom ... this validates my thoughts about this episode, but when i tell people they just think i'm a conspiracy nut ... i've been fucking with computers for 47 years and supporting my lifestyle with my computer chops for 43 years (all legally, which NSA can verify), and i know what the fuck i would do if i had my hands on that database and collection capability ... and we ain't seen nothin' yet.
clearly politicians are too stupid (self-serving?) to have thunk this up on their (his) own. i wonder who did. (time to duck and cover)
Of course, the most wonderful thing about this technology is that it is so impersonal. "they" don't have to care who the individual is, just what the pattern the person represents -- their interweb footprint.
Very cost effective and saves a fuckton on taxes. more bang (so to speak) for the buck.
clearly politicians are too stupid (self-serving?) to have thunk this up on their (his) own. i wonder who did. (time to duck and cover)
Of course, the most wonderful thing about this technology is that it is so impersonal. "they" don't have to care who the individual is, just what the pattern the person represents -- their interweb footprint.
Very cost effective and saves a fuckton on taxes. more bang (so to speak) for the buck.
when you boil it down government, is just legitimate organized crime.it is just a matter of time before the scam fails,and history repeats itself again. hopefully people wake up soon.
Is taxation theft?
[YOUTUBEIF]7XebGuqD5R0[/YOUTUBEIF]
Frederic Bastiat :
The state tends to expand in proportion to its means of existence and to live beyond its means, and these are, in the last analysis, nothing but the substance of the people. Woe to the people that cannot limit the sphere of action of the state! Freedom, private enterprise, wealth, happiness, independence, personal dignity, all vanish.
Senators skip classified briefing on NSA snooping to catch flights home
Is taxation theft?
[YOUTUBEIF]7XebGuqD5R0[/YOUTUBEIF]
Frederic Bastiat :
The state tends to expand in proportion to its means of existence and to live beyond its means, and these are, in the last analysis, nothing but the substance of the people. Woe to the people that cannot limit the sphere of action of the state! Freedom, private enterprise, wealth, happiness, independence, personal dignity, all vanish.
Senators skip classified briefing on NSA snooping to catch flights home
Goes to show you one thing USA is digging there own grave i herd obama is going to get a ear full when he meets with german minister next week soon american alies will turn there backs on usa for there corrupt ways of spying on there own
funny shit i remember reading how obama was talking with china on stopping the internet spying which china has a huge role in doing hacking etc , only to find out usa has been doing it as well usa thinks there the only ones that should be able to do it hahahah no wonder there in the state that they are Bankrupt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e8GMfjgE58
funny shit i remember reading how obama was talking with china on stopping the internet spying which china has a huge role in doing hacking etc , only to find out usa has been doing it as well usa thinks there the only ones that should be able to do it hahahah no wonder there in the state that they are Bankrupt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e8GMfjgE58
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i can understand the Senate leaving town to go party ... not like they can believe any fucking thing they will be told, eh? i sure as shit don't believe any fucking thing i'm hearing. from anybody. i think it's time to develop some anti-drone tech. open source, of course.
This movie is a little over 2 hours. We get closer every day and it's so much more "efficient" and no you're not going to stop it . It's economically impossible.
The Lives Of Others Das Leben Der Anderen 2006
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Veag-ptUkXI
The Lives Of Others Das Leben Der Anderen 2006
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Veag-ptUkXI
Oh my or my.
And now the truth comes out.
Old Dirty Uncle Sam got caught with his pants down in the background on a bad one this time.
The American Neo-Stasi exposed. New Boss same as Old Boss. What color suit the master wears matters not.
His name is Edward Snowden.
NSA admits listening to U.S. phone calls without warrants CNET
WAR IS A RACKET
And now the truth comes out.
Old Dirty Uncle Sam got caught with his pants down in the background on a bad one this time.
The American Neo-Stasi exposed. New Boss same as Old Boss. What color suit the master wears matters not.
His name is Edward Snowden.
NSA admits listening to U.S. phone calls without warrants CNET
WAR IS A RACKET
The hubris our governing body displays is repulsive. Being THE superpower, it is our responsibility to lead by example. Instead, this so called Superpower is proving that corruption can permeate any sector of our system, the same as Nigeria, Colombia or Mexico.
The USA is supposed to be a bright and shining star, something to strive for. This shit only embarrasses the people, and enrages citizens of other countries. This makes it less and less desirable to travel internationally. This is ultimately our fault. The overreaction to 9/11 (yes, I said it) by the government as a whole in late 2001, early 02 and our citizens lack of outrage paved the way for this evil machine to gain traction and become "normal."
We need lawmakers who understand there is no amount of security that warrants this kind of intrusion into our lives. Have we forgotten what it means to be free? To be an American? I believe every member of this site, this counterculture movement we are a part of are more patriotic than any of those fuckers in the Capitol. Being Civilly Disobedient is the most patriotic thing a citizen can be/do. When a law is outrageous and unjust, having absolutely no merit, it is our responsibility to break that law.
I do my part every fucking day. I'm proud to be a part of such a brave and just community, props to all y'all lawbreakers.
Rbdf
The USA is supposed to be a bright and shining star, something to strive for. This shit only embarrasses the people, and enrages citizens of other countries. This makes it less and less desirable to travel internationally. This is ultimately our fault. The overreaction to 9/11 (yes, I said it) by the government as a whole in late 2001, early 02 and our citizens lack of outrage paved the way for this evil machine to gain traction and become "normal."
We need lawmakers who understand there is no amount of security that warrants this kind of intrusion into our lives. Have we forgotten what it means to be free? To be an American? I believe every member of this site, this counterculture movement we are a part of are more patriotic than any of those fuckers in the Capitol. Being Civilly Disobedient is the most patriotic thing a citizen can be/do. When a law is outrageous and unjust, having absolutely no merit, it is our responsibility to break that law.
I do my part every fucking day. I'm proud to be a part of such a brave and just community, props to all y'all lawbreakers.
Rbdf
G
GreenPlant
Address EARTH..!
No Matter where ya go WE will always KNOW about US...
"Remember not to Speak to Loudly They Might Drone Your Ass!"
NP
!
BTW I do Dis agree with the Caring issue but I'm not gonna call you what you have Concluded! lol
Simply REALISM
Have a Mobile Phone? Address,name!...
etc
No Matter where ya go WE will always KNOW about US...
"Remember not to Speak to Loudly They Might Drone Your Ass!"
NP
!
BTW I do Dis agree with the Caring issue but I'm not gonna call you what you have Concluded! lol
Simply REALISM
Have a Mobile Phone? Address,name!...
etc
gobbler3447
Active member
Will there ever be a time, if you desire, to be off the grid? Is there too much known about me already, to disappear. Will I be safe from governmental prying? Is the info on me already too massive, after 66 years to hide activities like grandkids pics, what I do with my money and time? Judging from some comments on this post, many people don't care if the Government, aka Big Brother, tracks your every move. If you disagree with me, you call me a fool, or ridicule me for being "paranoid". I believe the second amendment to our constitution compels me to fight to keep my weapons. Only the men on flight 98, that crashed into a field in Pennsylvania on 9/11, didn't give up their their guns. After saying this I believe I can only pray to my God for strength and protection from a tyrannous big brother government.
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Not really sure what the point of that post was Minds I, really not a productive contribution to the discussion. This shit is real, and its the principal of the matter. We as American citizens have allowed the government to become drunk with power. Most people have their heads in the sand, completely oblivious to the fact the government is recording and evaluating your your every move.
Rbdf
Rbdf
no twitter?
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