NSA Phone Call Database (NSA DO NOT CALL LIST)

[toasty]

Big Brother strikes again:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/nsahasmassivedatabaseofamericansphonecalls;_ylt=AgU5Tfeq5hIbILyqLmp0PY.s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

OK, so they weren't actually recording the calls -- but they have a database that reflects who you called, who called you, when these calls took place and how long they lasted for almost 5 years. That's fucking outrageous. And, of course, the program was overseen by the dude nominated to be the new CIA chief.

Come on. Enough is enough.

[Jenks]

Re: NSA Phone Call Database

Hate to rain on the proverbial parade, but this has been going for a long time. As much as i'd like to blame the Bush administration for this, he's doing the same thing previous presidents have done. The media is sure quick to lay blame to Bush tho.

ECHELON. < heard of that?

On top of that, it's your cell phone company you should be pissed at, they're turning over the records VOLUNTARILY.

[thesightless]

Re: NSA Phone Call Database

hey im all for it, you should be too. cuz unless your planning on taking a few lives you have nothing to worry about. im sick of ppl whining about this. its been going on since the carter admin and its only there to see if ppl here are planning sinister shit. no one is gonna be arrested for calling in an order for 100 bucks of pot.

[speciale]

Re: NSA Phone Call Database

Hey toasty, stop calling 976 numbers and you should have nothing to worry about..

I'm with sightless on this one.

[thesightless]

Re: NSA Phone Call Database

werd, all they are doing is making sure akbar is not calling mohammed in morrocco to ask when they should strike.

[runningman]

Re: NSA Phone Call Database

I stumbled on this a week ago from the LSU University paper. The american people should be outraged that this is happening. Martial Law is well on its way.

[Jenks]

Re: NSA Phone Call Database

^HELLO!!! it's been happening since the 70s!

[KinKyJ]

Re: NSA Phone Call Database

hey im all for it, you should be too. cuz unless your planning on taking a few lives you have nothing to worry about. im sick of ppl whining about this. its been going on since the carter admin and its only there to see if ppl here are planning sinister shit. no one is gonna be arrested for calling in an order for 100 bucks of pot.

All of the above makes sense. You won't even notice anything of it unless you're giving your uncle Osama a call.

However, it's not keeping those records in a database which is a threat to your privacy. The real danger comes lurking around the corner when data from different databases are combined and linked.

Little example: nowadays in Belgium, your ID card, your bank card, credit card and social security card (containing your medical record and a record of all medication you buy) comes with a little chip in it like you can see below (the yellow metalic thingie on the left side).



This chip can contain a shitload of data, but nobody has any idea what is actually stored on it.

Now suppose that you're applying for a job. Your future employer could do a read out of that chip in order to get all relevant personal data in a structured way. Handy of course, but if databases are linked, would you find it ok if that guy would get an overview of your medical history? "Sorry Mr Smith, you have the best qualifications, but we prefer someone who isn't HIV positive."

Like Marshall McLuhan once said: "The more our lives are stored in databases, the less we exist."

[thesightless]

Re: NSA Phone Call Database

but that stuff cant be used by anyone outside of the security agencies....

as much as i dont mind the tracking, i am 1000% firmly against making it public.

[runningman]

Re: NSA Phone Call Database

^HELLO!!! it's been happening since the 70s!

doesn't mean we can't stop it now..

[DJJEFFJONES]

Re: NSA Phone Call Database

hey im all for it, you should be too. cuz unless your planning on taking a few lives you have nothing to worry about. im sick of ppl whining about this. its been going on since the carter admin and its only there to see if ppl here are planning sinister shit. no one is gonna be arrested for calling in an order for 100 bucks of pot.

I agree with sightless also on this one!


and shockingly I don't feel as dirty as I thought I would!

[toasty]

Re: NSA Phone Call Database

If someone can show me a source that indicates that we've actually been cataloging info regarding every single phone call made in the US since the 70's, I might be persuaded that this isn't that big of a deal. Take a look at this, though:

AT&T Corp., Verizon Communications Inc., and BellSouth Corp. telephone companies began turning over records of tens of millions of their customers' phone calls to the NSA program shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, said USA Today, citing anonymous sources it said had direct knowledge of the arrangement.

(emphasis added)

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&u=/ap/20060511/ap_on_go_pr_wh/nsa_phone_records_23

Seems to me that they would not be referring to "beginning to turn over records" if they'd been doing this all along.

[Xessex]

Re: NSA Phone Call Database

I'm with Kinky on this one.

Probably we of our generation will not really notice the side-effects of al those databases. But future generations well they can be fucked in the arse with indeed health care and much more.

Say there are a few muders in your neighbourhood. All they know is that ist a caucasian person from 1.80-1.90. Lets say you might have had some spicy internetconversations with somebody or phoned and just joked about not letting anybody fuck around with you. I know i say it sometimes...and you might just happen to be 1.80m - 1.90m and with your cellphone data they can see you were close to the area were a killing too place during a particular night. Then they can cut up your conversations and voila they have a case against you...

[neoee]

Re: NSA Phone Call Database

Unfortunately this isn't just data the NSA has access to, there are services which sell CDR's to the public too.

On a related note Qwest refused to hand over the records to the NSA.

Toasty the best thing you can do is donate to organizations like EEF who will most certianly go after companies like this.

[djrichwoods]

Re: NSA Phone Call Database

I've not posted in the political forum as yet but this whole thing has got me really pissed off.

First off, Jenks, this has NOT been going on for years, at least not what's been happening since after 9/11. The major telecoms are bound by law to make available call records to the government WITH A COURT ORDER or by OTHER LAWFUL AUTHORIZATION. These records are not being provided due to a FISA court order. The NSA bypassed FISA which on its face makes this illegal.

I don't know why this is such a difficult concept to comprehend. The government has NO right to your phone calls, your emails, ANYTHING without a warrant showing PROBABLE CAUSE. Period. This government is actively pursuing ongoing surveillance in the absence of judicial oversight in the form of a court order. How is this legal? The apparatus has been in place for decades for the Bush Administration to obtain the warrants it needs to do the things it wants in the form of the FISA court. Why don't they do it?