4 ms·

Yes, this is bad. Yes, you are right to be upset. Yes you (not not really me, I'm not American and i avoid american hosting and hosting companies like amazon fo

by fosap 13y ago

Yes, this is bad. Yes, you are right to be upset. Yes you (not not really me, I'm not American and i avoid american hosting and hosting companies like amazon for exactly this reason) should change that. But honestly, are you surprised? Are you really? Government agencies have be building large datacenters, the EU loves data retention. There was no tin foil head required to see this.

b6 13y ago
When people wanted to talk about this kind of massive wiretapping program years ago, they were called paranoid nutcases. Now that the truth is coming out, people who want to talk about it are called out for belaboring the obvious. I see this "are you so naive as to be surprised?" reaction in almost every thread about this. It's some kind of defense mechanism.
- jfaucett 13y ago
  I think it depends on who your talking about. If your a decently educated person who follows political developments at least minimally, and to boot you're a developer - I really agree with the OP, should anyone be surprised here? Haven't you been acting all along like all data that major corps are collecting on you was public anyway? On the other hand, if your talking about an everyday citizen with a "normal" job, I think your criticisms are more in place.
- fosap 13y ago
  >I see this "are you so naive as to be surprised?" reaction in almost every thread about this. It's some kind of defense mechanism. That's why I'm saying you are right to be upset. I like the saying "being paranoid does not mean they are not after you". And being paranoid turned out to be realistic.
  - bdamm 13y ago
    Well then try this on for size. Getting data through requesting it is only one way to get data. Another way to get data is to hack into the source. Consider that a number of governments, including the US, have active hacking teams. What are they hacking in to, exactly? I leave that up to you for speculation.
mtgx 13y ago
No, but now there is proof, which should make a difference. How are all of these not cases for impeachment? If Fox News thought Obama should be impeached over Benghazi, they should love this.
- mindcrime 13y ago
  Funny thing though... if Fox goes after Obama over this, it's tacitly admitting that Bush was evil too. I doubt they'll do that.
  - m0nastic 13y ago
    That's suggesting that they have even the slightest compulsion to not be hypocritical. I'd expect them to hit him hard on this (and good for them, even if their reasons for doing so might be dishonest).
    - tracker1 13y ago
      It's entirely possible to have disliked Obama AND GWB.
    - mindcrime 13y ago
      I hope you're right. FWIW, if they plan to cover this, they are biding their time. I just spent an hour watching Fox News, and saw: A car run into a Taco Bell, a sea-lion get onboard a boat, Holder testifying before congress about leak investigations and prosecuting journalists, and some other random crap... and not one word about PRISM, or even the earlier reveal about the phone call logs.
  - alan_cx 13y ago
    Oh I dunno. Having watched The Daily Show for years, Fox have no problem with some incredible contradictions and saying the exact opposite of what they one said. If they can label Obama as a Muslim communist traitor, they will forget that Bush ever existed.
- rickhanlonii 13y ago
alan_cx 13y ago
Im not sure being not American saves us. Do you use any of those US services? If so, I assume they have your data. If you are British, as I am, I assume our government is shovelling off all our data to the US too. As far as I am concerned, the internet is now pretty much like having our lives bugged. Might as well go the whole hog and have CCTV in all house holds. Heh, for all I know they access out webcams, etc. So, we might already be there. I'm afraid the US has essentially infected the internet with a cancer what will only spread. Freedom, privacy, liberty, on the internet is officially gone. Sure we all "knew" about the likes of echelon for years, but it was officially dismissed as loony conspiracy talk. Now we know it basically true. Sad thing is, this is under the watch of a Democrat, started by a Republican. Who is going to dare to reverse this?
- fosap 13y ago
  > Im not sure being not American saves us. Do you use any of those US services? If so, I assume they have your data. No, it does not, that is the sick part. But as a non american it's not (or should not) be my business how the usa organizes itself and what kind of politics they make. And yet I'm sure they are infringing my rights. Point is, I didn't vote for Obama. Nor is it my job to get rid of him.
- conroe64 13y ago
  Not only that, but Microsoft and Apple? The same companies who make the most popular OS's and phone OS's in the world? It's not much of a leap to think that the NSA has backdoors into each of these OS's, too.
nickpinkston 13y ago
I assumed this was already happening and surprised it's news.
- pyoung 13y ago
  I was under the same impression. I tried digging up some old news on the subject, to see where I got the impression from, but Google is only returning results from this latest news cycle. Wasn't there a number of news stories in the past about the NSA collecting data from telecom companies and such. How is this time different? EDIT: Found this, from May 2006: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-ns...

by fosap 13y ago

b6 13y ago

When people wanted to talk about this kind of massive wiretapping program years ago, they were called paranoid nutcases. Now that the truth is coming out, people who want to talk about it are called out for belaboring the obvious. I see this "are you so naive as to be surprised?" reaction in almost every thread about this. It's some kind of defense mechanism.

jfaucett 13y ago
I think it depends on who your talking about. If your a decently educated person who follows political developments at least minimally, and to boot you're a developer - I really agree with the OP, should anyone be surprised here? Haven't you been acting all along like all data that major corps are collecting on you was public anyway? On the other hand, if your talking about an everyday citizen with a "normal" job, I think your criticisms are more in place.
fosap 13y ago
>I see this "are you so naive as to be surprised?" reaction in almost every thread about this. It's some kind of defense mechanism. That's why I'm saying you are right to be upset. I like the saying "being paranoid does not mean they are not after you". And being paranoid turned out to be realistic.
- bdamm 13y ago
  Well then try this on for size. Getting data through requesting it is only one way to get data. Another way to get data is to hack into the source. Consider that a number of governments, including the US, have active hacking teams. What are they hacking in to, exactly? I leave that up to you for speculation.

mtgx 13y ago

No, but now there is proof, which should make a difference. How are all of these not cases for impeachment? If Fox News thought Obama should be impeached over Benghazi, they should love this.

mindcrime 13y ago
Funny thing though... if Fox goes after Obama over this, it's tacitly admitting that Bush was evil too. I doubt they'll do that.
- m0nastic 13y ago
  That's suggesting that they have even the slightest compulsion to not be hypocritical. I'd expect them to hit him hard on this (and good for them, even if their reasons for doing so might be dishonest).
  - tracker1 13y ago
    It's entirely possible to have disliked Obama AND GWB.
  - mindcrime 13y ago
    I hope you're right. FWIW, if they plan to cover this, they are biding their time. I just spent an hour watching Fox News, and saw: A car run into a Taco Bell, a sea-lion get onboard a boat, Holder testifying before congress about leak investigations and prosecuting journalists, and some other random crap... and not one word about PRISM, or even the earlier reveal about the phone call logs.
- alan_cx 13y ago
  Oh I dunno. Having watched The Daily Show for years, Fox have no problem with some incredible contradictions and saying the exact opposite of what they one said. If they can label Obama as a Muslim communist traitor, they will forget that Bush ever existed.
rickhanlonii 13y ago

alan_cx 13y ago

Im not sure being not American saves us. Do you use any of those US services? If so, I assume they have your data. If you are British, as I am, I assume our government is shovelling off all our data to the US too. As far as I am concerned, the internet is now pretty much like having our lives bugged. Might as well go the whole hog and have CCTV in all house holds. Heh, for all I know they access out webcams, etc. So, we might already be there. I'm afraid the US has essentially infected the internet with a cancer what will only spread. Freedom, privacy, liberty, on the internet is officially gone. Sure we all "knew" about the likes of echelon for years, but it was officially dismissed as loony conspiracy talk. Now we know it basically true. Sad thing is, this is under the watch of a Democrat, started by a Republican. Who is going to dare to reverse this?

fosap 13y ago
> Im not sure being not American saves us. Do you use any of those US services? If so, I assume they have your data. No, it does not, that is the sick part. But as a non american it's not (or should not) be my business how the usa organizes itself and what kind of politics they make. And yet I'm sure they are infringing my rights. Point is, I didn't vote for Obama. Nor is it my job to get rid of him.
conroe64 13y ago
Not only that, but Microsoft and Apple? The same companies who make the most popular OS's and phone OS's in the world? It's not much of a leap to think that the NSA has backdoors into each of these OS's, too.

nickpinkston 13y ago

I assumed this was already happening and surprised it's news.

pyoung 13y ago
I was under the same impression. I tried digging up some old news on the subject, to see where I got the impression from, but Google is only returning results from this latest news cycle. Wasn't there a number of news stories in the past about the NSA collecting data from telecom companies and such. How is this time different? EDIT: Found this, from May 2006: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-ns...