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Hackers Stole Secrets of U.S. Government Workers’ Sex Lives

19 points by 001sky 11y ago

mindslight 11y ago
"U.S. Government Stole Secrets of U.S. Government Workers’ Sex Lives" Public understanding needs to shift to condemning those who collect and aggregate such data. Once it's aggregated, the question isn't if but when it will be copied wholesale.
- bketelsen 11y ago
  Came here to say the same thing. Why is the government collecting secrets of its workers' sex lives? Why is it being stored? All data is subject to theft. The bigger question is why it was collected and stored in the first place. The government is responsible here.
  - Someone1234 11y ago
    So they'd have blackmail material to use against potential leakers or defectors. They certainly did in the Edward Snowden case (remember the whole "girl is a stripper" thing that was meant to damage him but backfired?).
    - ianstallings 11y ago
      These are investigations for clearances. They ensure that the candidate doesn't have anything that can be exploited by a foreign government. The article mentioned this. Before you get a clearance you'll have to go through a very thorough background check. In the case of top secret information they'll dig into your entire life and even give you what's called a "full lifestyle polygraph", meaning no topic is off limits.
      - Someone1234 11y ago
        I was more answering their second question: "Why is it being stored?"
      - mattstreet 11y ago
        You've got to really want a job to go through that bullshit.
Someone1234 11y ago
> Asked specifically what information the hackers had obtained, Seymour told lawmakers that she preferred to answer later in a “classified session.” Does anyone get the sense that often times "classified" is just a cover for "embarrassing?" Essentially information they know their political opponents have, but really wish to conceal from the American public? The whole American intelligence machine is (and related, like secret courts) is very creepy. Definitely starting to wonder if the whole thing can be kept under any kind of control with the levels of indirection. Congressional oversight is a nice theory, but when the people who do the overseeing are either former spooks or in the pockets of monied corporate interests who sell kit to the spooks, you really have to question how powerful oversight is in this case (and if negative reports will too be "classified").
Tangokat 11y ago
In case anyone was wondering the SF86 form that many people apparently had to fill out is available here: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/download/116390 http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/download/116390 It's the single biggest form I have ever seen. Storing this information along side "information about workers’ sexual partners, drug and alcohol abuse, debts, gambling compulsions, marital troubles, and any criminal activity." seems insane. The arrogance required to think this is a good idea blows my mind.
ljk 11y ago
doesn't government workers have all the intimate details of every U.S. citizen?
tdaltonc 11y ago
This is the consequence of the NSA/CIA/etc preference for an insecure internet. They'd rather keep there offensive edge as opposed to contributing to a secure web that improves everyones defense. Perfect security is impossible, but things could be a lot better. This might not have happened if the US intelligence system were dedicated to making the internet a more secure platform.

19 points by 001sky 11y ago

"U.S. Government Stole Secrets of U.S. Government Workers’ Sex Lives" Public understanding needs to shift to condemning those who collect and aggregate such data. Once it's aggregated, the question isn't if but when it will be copied wholesale.

bketelsen 11y ago
Came here to say the same thing. Why is the government collecting secrets of its workers' sex lives? Why is it being stored? All data is subject to theft. The bigger question is why it was collected and stored in the first place. The government is responsible here.
- Someone1234 11y ago
  So they'd have blackmail material to use against potential leakers or defectors. They certainly did in the Edward Snowden case (remember the whole "girl is a stripper" thing that was meant to damage him but backfired?).
  - ianstallings 11y ago
    These are investigations for clearances. They ensure that the candidate doesn't have anything that can be exploited by a foreign government. The article mentioned this. Before you get a clearance you'll have to go through a very thorough background check. In the case of top secret information they'll dig into your entire life and even give you what's called a "full lifestyle polygraph", meaning no topic is off limits.
    - Someone1234 11y ago
      I was more answering their second question: "Why is it being stored?"
    - mattstreet 11y ago
      You've got to really want a job to go through that bullshit.

Someone1234 11y ago

> Asked specifically what information the hackers had obtained, Seymour told lawmakers that she preferred to answer later in a “classified session.” Does anyone get the sense that often times "classified" is just a cover for "embarrassing?" Essentially information they know their political opponents have, but really wish to conceal from the American public? The whole American intelligence machine is (and related, like secret courts) is very creepy. Definitely starting to wonder if the whole thing can be kept under any kind of control with the levels of indirection. Congressional oversight is a nice theory, but when the people who do the overseeing are either former spooks or in the pockets of monied corporate interests who sell kit to the spooks, you really have to question how powerful oversight is in this case (and if negative reports will too be "classified").

Tangokat 11y ago

In case anyone was wondering the SF86 form that many people apparently had to fill out is available here: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/download/116390 http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/download/116390 It's the single biggest form I have ever seen. Storing this information along side "information about workers’ sexual partners, drug and alcohol abuse, debts, gambling compulsions, marital troubles, and any criminal activity." seems insane. The arrogance required to think this is a good idea blows my mind.

ljk 11y ago

doesn't government workers have all the intimate details of every U.S. citizen?

tdaltonc 11y ago

This is the consequence of the NSA/CIA/etc preference for an insecure internet. They'd rather keep there offensive edge as opposed to contributing to a secure web that improves everyones defense. Perfect security is impossible, but things could be a lot better. This might not have happened if the US intelligence system were dedicated to making the internet a more secure platform.