6 ms·

Aren't they going to be catching only the lowest of the low-hanging fruit using a technique like this, or am I giving terrorists too much credit? Wouldn't the o

Aren't they going to be catching only the lowest of the low-hanging fruit using a technique like this, or am I giving terrorists too much credit? Wouldn't the ones engaging in actual criminal actions be using encrypted services, encrypted files, VPNs, etc. and not just randomly uploading things in the open from their devices to mainstream websites?

stainednapkin 12y ago
If you think these systems are meant to catch terrorists you are truly misinformed.
endgame 12y ago
Replicating stainednapkin's [dead] comment: > If you think these systems are meant to catch terrorists you are truly misinformed.
- happyscrappy 12y ago
  Fascist Canada? Doesn't sound right.
  - frandroid 12y ago
    Stephen Harper would love nothing better.
  - Raphmedia 12y ago
    Canadian here. Sounds about right. Hopefully some people with ethics and values are still in politics. Hopefully.
  - sitkack 12y ago
    Not fascism, a Public Private Partnership. Win-Win for everyone!
- csandreasen 12y ago
  ... which is an interesting theory given the fact that the linked slides show them looking through information gathered from videos on bomb-making and abductions.
  - thissideup 12y ago
    Clearly all dedicated terrorists start by watching videos on the internet. Kind of a stupid notion to ground your whole argument on.
    - csandreasen 12y ago
      I had to do some major plumbing repair recently. I watched a lot of plumbing videos on Youtube to make sure I was doing everything correctly, because I had never done any plumbing work before and was worried I might screw something up. If I wanted to construct an IED, I'd probably watch a lot of videos to make sure I was doing everything correctly, because I've never constructed a remotely detonated explosive device capable of destroying a large vehicle and I'd worry that I might screw something up.
      - thissideup 12y ago
        Ironclad. You're so right, anyone who watches a video on any government-approved terrorist topic should instantly be droned.
        csandreasen 12y ago
        That's quite the strawman argument you've shot back. It goes along nicely with the shifting goalposts - if you recall, the original argument I was replying to simply stated that these programs had nothing to do with terrorism. My point in my previous comment was that most of the people watching videos on bomb-making are probably interested in building bombs. If you're trying to find people who want to blow stuff up, that's probably not a bad place to start looking. Nowhere in there did I say the government should be blowing up everyone who looks at the wrong Youtube video.
csandreasen 12y ago
The dumb ones are just as dangerous as the smart ones, and there are far more of them.
- thissideup 12y ago
  Can you provide a single example of these systems stopping an act of terrorism?
  - csandreasen 12y ago
    They declassified four shortly after the Snowden revelations began: http://intelligence.house.gov/1-four-declassified-examples-more-50-attacks-20-countries-thwarted-nsa-collection-under-fisa-section http://intelligence.house.gov/1-four-declassified-examples-m...
    - thissideup 12y ago
      Thanks for sharing that information created and disseminated by the NSA itself[0][1][2]. Wasn't the original party line "over fifty"? No reason to think they would ever lie[3][4]. Elected US officials don't have access to enough information to verify those claims, guessing you don't either. [0] http://www.propublica.org/article/claim-on-attacks-thwarted-by-nsa-spreads-despite-lack-of-evidence http://www.propublica.org/article/claim-on-attacks-thwarted-... [1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/23/nsa-attacks-thwarted_n_4148811.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/23/nsa-attacks-thwarte... [2] http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/2/nsa-chief-figures-foiled-terror-plots-misleading/?page=all http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/2/nsa-chief-fig... [3] http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2013/06/fire_dni_james_clapper_he_lied_to_congress_about_nsa_surveillance.html http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/... [4] http://www.allgov.com/news/controversies/nsa-director-alexander-admits-he-lied-about-phone-surveillance-stopping-54-terror-plots-131007?news=851326 http://www.allgov.com/news/controversies/nsa-director-alexan...
      - csandreasen 12y ago

stainednapkin 12y ago

If you think these systems are meant to catch terrorists you are truly misinformed.

endgame 12y ago

Replicating stainednapkin's [dead] comment: > If you think these systems are meant to catch terrorists you are truly misinformed.

happyscrappy 12y ago
Fascist Canada? Doesn't sound right.
- frandroid 12y ago
  Stephen Harper would love nothing better.
- Raphmedia 12y ago
  Canadian here. Sounds about right. Hopefully some people with ethics and values are still in politics. Hopefully.
- sitkack 12y ago
  Not fascism, a Public Private Partnership. Win-Win for everyone!
csandreasen 12y ago
... which is an interesting theory given the fact that the linked slides show them looking through information gathered from videos on bomb-making and abductions.
- thissideup 12y ago
  Clearly all dedicated terrorists start by watching videos on the internet. Kind of a stupid notion to ground your whole argument on.
  - csandreasen 12y ago
    I had to do some major plumbing repair recently. I watched a lot of plumbing videos on Youtube to make sure I was doing everything correctly, because I had never done any plumbing work before and was worried I might screw something up. If I wanted to construct an IED, I'd probably watch a lot of videos to make sure I was doing everything correctly, because I've never constructed a remotely detonated explosive device capable of destroying a large vehicle and I'd worry that I might screw something up.
    - thissideup 12y ago
      Ironclad. You're so right, anyone who watches a video on any government-approved terrorist topic should instantly be droned.
      - csandreasen 12y ago
        That's quite the strawman argument you've shot back. It goes along nicely with the shifting goalposts - if you recall, the original argument I was replying to simply stated that these programs had nothing to do with terrorism. My point in my previous comment was that most of the people watching videos on bomb-making are probably interested in building bombs. If you're trying to find people who want to blow stuff up, that's probably not a bad place to start looking. Nowhere in there did I say the government should be blowing up everyone who looks at the wrong Youtube video.

csandreasen 12y ago

The dumb ones are just as dangerous as the smart ones, and there are far more of them.

thissideup 12y ago
Can you provide a single example of these systems stopping an act of terrorism?
- csandreasen 12y ago
  They declassified four shortly after the Snowden revelations began: http://intelligence.house.gov/1-four-declassified-examples-more-50-attacks-20-countries-thwarted-nsa-collection-under-fisa-section http://intelligence.house.gov/1-four-declassified-examples-m...
  - thissideup 12y ago
    Thanks for sharing that information created and disseminated by the NSA itself[0][1][2]. Wasn't the original party line "over fifty"? No reason to think they would ever lie[3][4]. Elected US officials don't have access to enough information to verify those claims, guessing you don't either. [0] http://www.propublica.org/article/claim-on-attacks-thwarted-by-nsa-spreads-despite-lack-of-evidence http://www.propublica.org/article/claim-on-attacks-thwarted-... [1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/23/nsa-attacks-thwarted_n_4148811.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/23/nsa-attacks-thwarte... [2] http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/2/nsa-chief-figures-foiled-terror-plots-misleading/?page=all http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/2/nsa-chief-fig... [3] http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2013/06/fire_dni_james_clapper_he_lied_to_congress_about_nsa_surveillance.html http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/... [4] http://www.allgov.com/news/controversies/nsa-director-alexander-admits-he-lied-about-phone-surveillance-stopping-54-terror-plots-131007?news=851326 http://www.allgov.com/news/controversies/nsa-director-alexan...
    - csandreasen 12y ago