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I think it's fair to leak because most of this content is common-sense. My highschool civics class had a project to create a terrorist checklist... we hit at le

I think it's fair to leak because most of this content is common-sense. My highschool civics class had a project to create a terrorist checklist... we hit at least 95% of this list. So I see absolutely no danger here.

BoringCode 10y ago
I suspected I'd see a variation of this answer in this thread. While on some level it makes sense for some cases (the information is so benign that it doesn't matter if it is leaked), in this case I don't think it quite adds up. First, while much of the information might be common-sense, it might not be to potential adversaries and I see no reason to provide further aide. Second, revealing documents like this helps prove what FBI isn't doing. When trying to plan an effective counter to surveillance, it can be just as important to know what isn't be tracked as well as what is. Again, I don't see a public good here. I simply don't think there is an overriding good that outweighs potential downsides (even if small). Revealing this document does not show moral or legal problems. All it does is fulfill curiosity. Which isn't a good reason for leaking information related to national security.
- Godel_unicode 10y ago
  > revealing documents like this helps prove what FBI isn't doing. Does it?
  - BoringCode 10y ago
    Not conclusively, no.
    - Godel_unicode 10y ago
      One might go so far as to conjecture that the FBI hopes people will see this and think exactly that.
akhilcacharya 10y ago
> My highschool civics class had a project to create a terrorist checklist What the hell?
- err4nt 10y ago
  A very common mantra you'll find repeated everywhere if you visit the US is 'If you see something, say something' They have it on posters in transit hubs, stadiums, airports, all over the place. Americans live in this constant state of paranoia about things like this.
- losteric 10y ago
  I took civics about 4 years after 9/11... It was an exercise in understanding governing ethics/effectiveness. You'd be surprised, or perhaps disturbed, by how many kids put "is a Muslim" on their list...

BoringCode 10y ago

I suspected I'd see a variation of this answer in this thread. While on some level it makes sense for some cases (the information is so benign that it doesn't matter if it is leaked), in this case I don't think it quite adds up. First, while much of the information might be common-sense, it might not be to potential adversaries and I see no reason to provide further aide. Second, revealing documents like this helps prove what FBI isn't doing. When trying to plan an effective counter to surveillance, it can be just as important to know what isn't be tracked as well as what is. Again, I don't see a public good here. I simply don't think there is an overriding good that outweighs potential downsides (even if small). Revealing this document does not show moral or legal problems. All it does is fulfill curiosity. Which isn't a good reason for leaking information related to national security.

Godel_unicode 10y ago
> revealing documents like this helps prove what FBI isn't doing. Does it?
- BoringCode 10y ago
  Not conclusively, no.
  - Godel_unicode 10y ago
    One might go so far as to conjecture that the FBI hopes people will see this and think exactly that.

akhilcacharya 10y ago

> My highschool civics class had a project to create a terrorist checklist What the hell?

err4nt 10y ago
A very common mantra you'll find repeated everywhere if you visit the US is 'If you see something, say something' They have it on posters in transit hubs, stadiums, airports, all over the place. Americans live in this constant state of paranoia about things like this.
losteric 10y ago
I took civics about 4 years after 9/11... It was an exercise in understanding governing ethics/effectiveness. You'd be surprised, or perhaps disturbed, by how many kids put "is a Muslim" on their list...