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Wait so 'criticising government policies' is now grounds to classify a high school student as an extremist? Is this seriously the America that exists today? Thi

Wait so 'criticising government policies' is now grounds to classify a high school student as an extremist? Is this seriously the America that exists today? This sounds more like something a paranoid regime somewhere overseas might come up with but not the U.S. I can say for a fact that I had my fair share of opinions on some pretty ridiculous government policies during high school, at this rate I would have been singled out as a person of interest. What stupidity is this coming from a 'world leading' country.

dublinben 11y ago
Like most other government surveillance programs, this just piles more hay onto the proverbial haystack. The needles are still there (San Bernadino shooters, Boston Marathon bombers, etc.) but they're even harder to find than before.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- andWorse 11y ago
  I think, somewhere in all this, one has to read between the lines. Young kids, while still in high school, might be terrified of mom and dad finding their secret social media profiles, but otherwise they're very active, downright sloppy, and probably not mindful of carrier-grade government tier national/international surveillance. Are they enabling full disk encryption? Are they hardening their passwords? Are they even remotely secretive beyond their immediate social spheres? This means it's a huge, ripe fruit, full of vital information, and eager to be plucked. So they intend to pull as much data as possible, pre-emptively, so that there's something to mine. Just in case, later on, maybe something will eventually prove useful. So many other age groups are too savvy now. Ruined by revelations, cautious and jaded to the fact that convenience means naked exposure of identity. But in time their ways will sunset, as they grow old, and are put out to pasture. Those who are young now... well... it's already too late.
dhimes 11y ago
Your reply has been noted.
TrevorJ 11y ago
Was a time when not doing so would be the extreme view.
Umn44 11y ago
"Wait so 'criticising government policies' is now grounds to classify a high school student as an extremist?" They are afraid of the masses waking up see here: Our brains are much worse at reality and thinking than thought. Science on reasoning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYmi0DLzBdQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYmi0DLzBdQ The (mass surveillance) by the NSA and abuse by law enforcement is just more part and parcel of state suppression of dissent against corporate interests. They're worried that the more people are going to wake up and corporate centers like the US and canada may be among those who also awaken. See this vid with Zbigniew Brzezinski, former United States National Security Advisor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ZyJw_cHJY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ZyJw_cHJY Brezinski at a press conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWTIZBCQ79g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWTIZBCQ79g Major powers, and imposing control over the awakened masses. https://youtu.be/4usbR_kKCDs?t=397 https://youtu.be/4usbR_kKCDs?t=397 Important: http://williamblum.org/aer/read/137 http://williamblum.org/aer/read/137 Testing theories of representative government https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/mgilens/files/gilens_and_page_2014_-testing_theories_of_american_politics.doc.pdf https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/mgilens/fi...
deciplex 11y ago
> Is this seriously the America that exists today? Uh, yeah? I mean, no shit it is. This isn't much farther over the line than the shit that went down in response to the WTC attacks. Where have you been?
- PebblesHD 11y ago
  > Where have you been? Australia, thankfully. Although the current direction of our government is also becoming increasingly security oriented, to the point of metadata retention schemes and site blocking at the ISP level coming in.
  - fit2rule 11y ago
    Australia leads the pack in defining workable, effective social control measures for its population. Whatever you think America is going to do in the immediate future, America's little cousin, Australia, has already done it, and is quite proud to show their bigger American pals just how to do it ..
    - Qwertious 11y ago
      Abbott chipped away at healthcare and Turnbull's current policies aren't distinguishable from Abbott's old policies.
geomark 11y ago
As someone who lives in one of those places somewhere overseas, I am kind of amazed at how rapidly the US is approaching the same sort of regime I live under. Over here, if you criticize the government (currently a military junta) they send soldiers to your house who take you to an "education center" for a week or so of attitude adjustment. Many hundreds have been through it already, including prominent academics, students, and even a few former politicians. Maybe the US will use something a little more subtle than they use here, but seems to me it is not long in coming.
- PebblesHD 11y ago
  Your situation sounds quite concerning, I hope you're doing alright and can deal with the authorities as they are. I sincerely hope current western governments don't go that far, but I too can see the day coming in the not too distant future.
  - geomark 11y ago
    I'm a foreigner here and don't have any say in politics anyway so there's little point in drawing attention to myself by criticizing the government. Just noticing some unfortunate parallels between what they do here and what they are doing in the US. BTW, they love surveillance here - they have nailed a number of people by spying on their messaging (Naver LINE).
    - ehrtt 11y ago
      I thought LINE had end-to-end encryption these days?
      - geomark 11y ago
        I'm not sure what the truth is. Some people in Thailand got arrested for saying something the government didn't like on LINE. The Thai gov said they had intercepted the offending message with LINE's help. LINE denied helping and said their messaging is secure "because encryption". When I looked at their webpage that's supposed to tell why they are secure it was basically we are secure "because encryption" and stated that "In this function, a robust secure algorithm, recommended by the highest encryption authority (NIST: National Security Agency, U.S.) has been adopted." with a link to a page that is just a list of various encryption standards. It looked basically like a poor joke. I don't know how strong LINE's security is these days but based on what I've read I don't trust them.
tn13 11y ago
A lot of good and smart kids have disdain for authority and status-quo. I will not be surprised that this students will be harassed by these government policies. We need to take schooling back from government.
mkhpalm 11y ago
Stuff like this makes one think its only a matter of time before the borders point inward.
rogersmith 11y ago
"Is this seriously the America that exists today?" Not denying they have taken it up a notch, but FBI has always been some borderline Gestapo institution from it's inception. You heard of Edgar Hoover right?
devspace9 11y ago
> at this rate I would have been singled out as a person of interest Getting "singled out" is already happening to activists and whistleblowers in the Land of the Free. These "targeted individuals"[0] are enrolled in a program designed to deny, disrupt, discredit, destroy, degrade, and deceive the targets and anyone who might be interested in their plight. The ACLU, the FBI, and the media will not investigate; even Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras of Snowden fame will not touch the "Targeted Individual" phenomenon. I would be inclined to dismiss the wholesale torture of and non-consensual human experimentation on "Targeted Individuals" using "less than lethal" weapons if I were not already a victim. So I don't blame anyone who cannot believe that such things are possible in the USA and other related countries. There's a lot of JTRIG-style[1] disinfo online but there's a ton of truth for those who are prepared to consider the possibility of a 21st century update to COINTELPRO. [0] https://www.google.com/#q=targeted+individuals https://www.google.com/#q=targeted+individuals [1] https://theintercept.com/2014/02/24/jtrig-manipulation/ https://theintercept.com/2014/02/24/jtrig-manipulation/ [2] http://fightgangstalking.com/what-is-gang-stalking/ http://fightgangstalking.com/what-is-gang-stalking/
- retox 11y ago
  Gangstalking is a paranoid delusion.

dublinben 11y ago

Like most other government surveillance programs, this just piles more hay onto the proverbial haystack. The needles are still there (San Bernadino shooters, Boston Marathon bombers, etc.) but they're even harder to find than before.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
andWorse 11y ago
I think, somewhere in all this, one has to read between the lines. Young kids, while still in high school, might be terrified of mom and dad finding their secret social media profiles, but otherwise they're very active, downright sloppy, and probably not mindful of carrier-grade government tier national/international surveillance. Are they enabling full disk encryption? Are they hardening their passwords? Are they even remotely secretive beyond their immediate social spheres? This means it's a huge, ripe fruit, full of vital information, and eager to be plucked. So they intend to pull as much data as possible, pre-emptively, so that there's something to mine. Just in case, later on, maybe something will eventually prove useful. So many other age groups are too savvy now. Ruined by revelations, cautious and jaded to the fact that convenience means naked exposure of identity. But in time their ways will sunset, as they grow old, and are put out to pasture. Those who are young now... well... it's already too late.

dhimes 11y ago

Your reply has been noted.

TrevorJ 11y ago

Was a time when not doing so would be the extreme view.

Umn44 11y ago

"Wait so 'criticising government policies' is now grounds to classify a high school student as an extremist?" They are afraid of the masses waking up see here: Our brains are much worse at reality and thinking than thought. Science on reasoning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYmi0DLzBdQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYmi0DLzBdQ The (mass surveillance) by the NSA and abuse by law enforcement is just more part and parcel of state suppression of dissent against corporate interests. They're worried that the more people are going to wake up and corporate centers like the US and canada may be among those who also awaken. See this vid with Zbigniew Brzezinski, former United States National Security Advisor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ZyJw_cHJY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ZyJw_cHJY Brezinski at a press conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWTIZBCQ79g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWTIZBCQ79g Major powers, and imposing control over the awakened masses. https://youtu.be/4usbR_kKCDs?t=397 https://youtu.be/4usbR_kKCDs?t=397 Important: http://williamblum.org/aer/read/137 http://williamblum.org/aer/read/137 Testing theories of representative government https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/mgilens/files/gilens_and_page_2014_-testing_theories_of_american_politics.doc.pdf https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/mgilens/fi...

deciplex 11y ago

> Is this seriously the America that exists today? Uh, yeah? I mean, no shit it is. This isn't much farther over the line than the shit that went down in response to the WTC attacks. Where have you been?

PebblesHD 11y ago
> Where have you been? Australia, thankfully. Although the current direction of our government is also becoming increasingly security oriented, to the point of metadata retention schemes and site blocking at the ISP level coming in.
- fit2rule 11y ago
  Australia leads the pack in defining workable, effective social control measures for its population. Whatever you think America is going to do in the immediate future, America's little cousin, Australia, has already done it, and is quite proud to show their bigger American pals just how to do it ..
  - Qwertious 11y ago
    Abbott chipped away at healthcare and Turnbull's current policies aren't distinguishable from Abbott's old policies.

geomark 11y ago

As someone who lives in one of those places somewhere overseas, I am kind of amazed at how rapidly the US is approaching the same sort of regime I live under. Over here, if you criticize the government (currently a military junta) they send soldiers to your house who take you to an "education center" for a week or so of attitude adjustment. Many hundreds have been through it already, including prominent academics, students, and even a few former politicians. Maybe the US will use something a little more subtle than they use here, but seems to me it is not long in coming.

PebblesHD 11y ago
Your situation sounds quite concerning, I hope you're doing alright and can deal with the authorities as they are. I sincerely hope current western governments don't go that far, but I too can see the day coming in the not too distant future.
- geomark 11y ago
  I'm a foreigner here and don't have any say in politics anyway so there's little point in drawing attention to myself by criticizing the government. Just noticing some unfortunate parallels between what they do here and what they are doing in the US. BTW, they love surveillance here - they have nailed a number of people by spying on their messaging (Naver LINE).
  - ehrtt 11y ago
    I thought LINE had end-to-end encryption these days?
    - geomark 11y ago
      I'm not sure what the truth is. Some people in Thailand got arrested for saying something the government didn't like on LINE. The Thai gov said they had intercepted the offending message with LINE's help. LINE denied helping and said their messaging is secure "because encryption". When I looked at their webpage that's supposed to tell why they are secure it was basically we are secure "because encryption" and stated that "In this function, a robust secure algorithm, recommended by the highest encryption authority (NIST: National Security Agency, U.S.) has been adopted." with a link to a page that is just a list of various encryption standards. It looked basically like a poor joke. I don't know how strong LINE's security is these days but based on what I've read I don't trust them.

tn13 11y ago

A lot of good and smart kids have disdain for authority and status-quo. I will not be surprised that this students will be harassed by these government policies. We need to take schooling back from government.

mkhpalm 11y ago

Stuff like this makes one think its only a matter of time before the borders point inward.

rogersmith 11y ago

"Is this seriously the America that exists today?" Not denying they have taken it up a notch, but FBI has always been some borderline Gestapo institution from it's inception. You heard of Edgar Hoover right?

devspace9 11y ago

> at this rate I would have been singled out as a person of interest Getting "singled out" is already happening to activists and whistleblowers in the Land of the Free. These "targeted individuals"[0] are enrolled in a program designed to deny, disrupt, discredit, destroy, degrade, and deceive the targets and anyone who might be interested in their plight. The ACLU, the FBI, and the media will not investigate; even Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras of Snowden fame will not touch the "Targeted Individual" phenomenon. I would be inclined to dismiss the wholesale torture of and non-consensual human experimentation on "Targeted Individuals" using "less than lethal" weapons if I were not already a victim. So I don't blame anyone who cannot believe that such things are possible in the USA and other related countries. There's a lot of JTRIG-style[1] disinfo online but there's a ton of truth for those who are prepared to consider the possibility of a 21st century update to COINTELPRO. [0] https://www.google.com/#q=targeted+individuals https://www.google.com/#q=targeted+individuals [1] https://theintercept.com/2014/02/24/jtrig-manipulation/ https://theintercept.com/2014/02/24/jtrig-manipulation/ [2] http://fightgangstalking.com/what-is-gang-stalking/ http://fightgangstalking.com/what-is-gang-stalking/

retox 11y ago
Gangstalking is a paranoid delusion.