4 ms·

You're correct, but that says more about the definition of "person of interest" than it does about the kid's dangerousness. For example, my parents came to the

by karzeem 16y ago

You're correct, but that says more about the definition of "person of interest" than it does about the kid's dangerousness. For example, my parents came to the US from Lebanon. Aside from the fact that my family isn't Muslim, the profile fits me perfectly. I'd bet good money that it fits the vast majority of immigrants who still have family in the old country. The other thing worth remembering is how the person of interest to whom the kid is linked became a person of interest. He posted a comment on reddit speculating about how easy it would be for terrorists to wreak havoc by hitting arbitrary soft targets throughout the country. Like hiring, catching terrorists is a game where you should be willing to take a lot of false positives to avoid one false negative. But it can go too far, and people's worry is that it has done here.

siculars 16y ago
And I agree with you. Should the FBI have known that this kid is not a threat before deciding to track him? Probably. Do we really know why they decided to track him? Probably not. Having the background you have I'm sure you know which groups are more of a concern and which groups are less of a concern and to whom under certain circumstances.
redrobot5050 16y ago
And forgive me for pointing this out...I don't want to be labeled stupid for relaying this...but the kid's posting on reddit was NOT an original idea. Alex Jones or one of his affiliates posted an essay stating that if there truly were terrorists in America, they could suicide bomb 200 malls in a day for less than $200,000 -- and surely this would terrify the populace. We'd demand metal detectors at all public facilities. There could be a follow up attack every day. (with a "package left behind"). The end of the article goes to conclude that this doesn't happen, because the threat is not significant. That this kid (or rather, the kid's friend) quoted a 'radical' libertarian on reddit (and didn't cite sources) HARDLY makes him a threat. Somebody at the FBI should be fired for the sheer idiocy of their profiling programs.
- mkramlich 16y ago
  Whoever made that post on Reddit was unwise, but he was not incorrect. I'm also of the belief that if there truly were a very large organized effort to terrorize the US there would have been at least 10x more events that have occurred. Therefore, while there may be an effort, it seems to be a fairly small or pathetically weak one, in relative terms. Can't believe the hundreds of billions they're spending in the name of fighting it. Though at least UAV/robotics is getting lots of funding and advancing steadily -- the one bright spot in the CS industry that has been positively impacted by it all.

by karzeem 16y ago

siculars 16y ago

And I agree with you. Should the FBI have known that this kid is not a threat before deciding to track him? Probably. Do we really know why they decided to track him? Probably not. Having the background you have I'm sure you know which groups are more of a concern and which groups are less of a concern and to whom under certain circumstances.

redrobot5050 16y ago

And forgive me for pointing this out...I don't want to be labeled stupid for relaying this...but the kid's posting on reddit was NOT an original idea. Alex Jones or one of his affiliates posted an essay stating that if there truly were terrorists in America, they could suicide bomb 200 malls in a day for less than $200,000 -- and surely this would terrify the populace. We'd demand metal detectors at all public facilities. There could be a follow up attack every day. (with a "package left behind"). The end of the article goes to conclude that this doesn't happen, because the threat is not significant. That this kid (or rather, the kid's friend) quoted a 'radical' libertarian on reddit (and didn't cite sources) HARDLY makes him a threat. Somebody at the FBI should be fired for the sheer idiocy of their profiling programs.

mkramlich 16y ago
Whoever made that post on Reddit was unwise, but he was not incorrect. I'm also of the belief that if there truly were a very large organized effort to terrorize the US there would have been at least 10x more events that have occurred. Therefore, while there may be an effort, it seems to be a fairly small or pathetically weak one, in relative terms. Can't believe the hundreds of billions they're spending in the name of fighting it. Though at least UAV/robotics is getting lots of funding and advancing steadily -- the one bright spot in the CS industry that has been positively impacted by it all.