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"We were gathering bulk data from telecoms even before the Patriot Act" Thought this was important to note.
by der3k 13y ago
"We were gathering bulk data from telecoms even before the Patriot Act" Thought this was important to note.
- cgshaw 13y agoPerhaps even more important to note "before 9/11." So if mass surveillance didn't prevent 9/11, is the rationale to expand it to TOTAL surveillance, if necessary?
- pyre 13y ago| Perhaps even more important to note | "before 9/11." To me, at least, that's basically how I read "before the PATRIOT Act." I looked it up and the PATRIOT Act was signed into law on 2001-10-26; for some reason I thought that it was quickly pushed through a day or two after 9/11.
- cgshaw 13y agoI read it similarly, but not everyone may recall the ins and outs of the Patriot Act's passage—it was nearly a dozen years ago now. Many of the folks on HN were in grade school. I was trying to draw attention to the line that government keeps giving us about how "they are trying to prevent another 9/11" with the secret laws and secrets courts that enable warrantless wiretaps and constant surveillance.
- dllthomas 13y agoFWell, there was Total Information Awareness, which was "shut down" after public objection, where "shut down" meant moving the functions to various other places.
- saraid216 13y agoI would be honestly surprised if it started as late as 1980.
- wyck 13y agoThis is documented in several books including "The shadow factory", it's been going on for decades. The Telco's basically get absolved of any legal responsibility directly from the oval office. How exactly that works in terms of law, I have no idea, but I would assume it's locked inside a safe. ps. Do not use satellite phones unless you want everything listened too:)