4 ms·

[citation needed] though

by timdiggerm 12y ago

sp332 12y ago
What source would you trust for a citation?
- theg2 12y ago
  That doesn't mean you shouldn't ask for sources. Otherwise it's just blind fear mongering.
  - sp332 12y ago
    Well, Binney was an NSA employee and is now on the record saying that their goal is population control. That is a source.
    - josefresco 12y ago
      He was an (important) employee but did not speak for, or set the NSA agenda. He's also disgruntled. This makes the quality of the source less than ideal. Now if he had some sort of memo or recording that would change the source, and could provide more credibility.
    - timdiggerm 12y ago
      Although that's true, I consider anything he says about the NSA's current activities and goals increasingly inaccurate the longer he's not there.
      - fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
        I think it is fair to say that the NSA's activities and goals have not become "better" (from the perspective of civil liberties) since 2001.
  - cowardlydragon 12y ago
    Hey, how about you give me all the account numbers and information to access your bank accounts? It doesn't mean I will take your money in the future. That's just fear mongering.
GVIrish 12y ago
Whether that is the NSA leadership's goal is anyone's guess. However, with the road they're going down, they will have the ability to exert considerable control over people around the world, particularly in the United States. Give that sort of capability it is inevitable that it will be abused. They're already abusing the power they have now.
- Throwaway0812 12y ago
  They might not even have a specific goal. It could be one of those cases where they want to track and store the data, because it's available. It would be similar to being a developer, and wanting to track user information (user ip addresses, when they last logged in, which articles they viewed, how many times they viewed them, etc). Even if you don't have a need for that information now, it might be a key piece of data for an upcoming feature you develop a few years down the line. It's difficult to predict the future, but saving the data you have available is a good way to be prepared. Now, I don't agree with what they're doing, but I could easily see something like this happening.

[citation needed] though

sp332 12y ago

What source would you trust for a citation?

theg2 12y ago
That doesn't mean you shouldn't ask for sources. Otherwise it's just blind fear mongering.
- sp332 12y ago
  Well, Binney was an NSA employee and is now on the record saying that their goal is population control. That is a source.
  - josefresco 12y ago
    He was an (important) employee but did not speak for, or set the NSA agenda. He's also disgruntled. This makes the quality of the source less than ideal. Now if he had some sort of memo or recording that would change the source, and could provide more credibility.
  - timdiggerm 12y ago
    Although that's true, I consider anything he says about the NSA's current activities and goals increasingly inaccurate the longer he's not there.
    - fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
      I think it is fair to say that the NSA's activities and goals have not become "better" (from the perspective of civil liberties) since 2001.
- cowardlydragon 12y ago
  Hey, how about you give me all the account numbers and information to access your bank accounts? It doesn't mean I will take your money in the future. That's just fear mongering.

GVIrish 12y ago

Whether that is the NSA leadership's goal is anyone's guess. However, with the road they're going down, they will have the ability to exert considerable control over people around the world, particularly in the United States. Give that sort of capability it is inevitable that it will be abused. They're already abusing the power they have now.

Throwaway0812 12y ago
They might not even have a specific goal. It could be one of those cases where they want to track and store the data, because it's available. It would be similar to being a developer, and wanting to track user information (user ip addresses, when they last logged in, which articles they viewed, how many times they viewed them, etc). Even if you don't have a need for that information now, it might be a key piece of data for an upcoming feature you develop a few years down the line. It's difficult to predict the future, but saving the data you have available is a good way to be prepared. Now, I don't agree with what they're doing, but I could easily see something like this happening.