Prism and Verizon surveillance discussion thread

[Cain]

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[Junkenstein]

This feels very related:
http://www.wired.com/business/2013/08/mark-zuckerberg-internet-org/

Last week, in an effort to reach this lofty goal, the Facebook CEO announced the establishment of Internet.org, a consortium that allied his company with handset makers (Nokia, Samsung, Ericcson), a browser company (Opera), and network infrastructure manufacturers (Qualcomm, MediaTek). In a 10-page white paper shared on, yes, Facebook, he postulated that a connected world could address economic disparity and outlined a vision of even the poorest people connecting to low-cost, low-data versions of basic Internet services.

This gives me a serious shudder. Digging through the Barret Brown stuff leads you to statements to the effect of "We are building a file on every single person in the US". Facebook is quite likely to be part of that profiling construction. The expansion here seems to be an intention to profile every single person who takes out a facebook account, or at least use facebook to assist in the overall profiling operation.

The stated intention of it being "for everyone" and then aiming particularly at struggling countries is telling. Is anyone who "Likes" say, Assad or Iran or Jihad now a viable drone target? I'd bet the evidence can be produced that they liked other suspicious things. Just look at their internet history and you can't disagree. They were also friends with this guy who has a dodgy looking beard. Clearly guilty.

Or crazy paranoia.

[Cain]

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[Q. G. Pennyworth]

"Every day, they are learning how brilliant [Snowden] was," said a former U.S. official with knowledge of the case. "This is why you don't hire brilliant people for jobs like this. You hire smart people. Brilliant people get you in trouble."

http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/29/20234171-snowden-impersonated-nsa-officials-sources-say?lite



Because it takes a "brilliant" person to know how to use the system he's supposed to be administrating. Jesus fuck I hate these smarmy cunts.

[Junkenstein]

"Every day, they are learning how brilliant competent [Snowden] was," said a former U.S. official with knowledge of the case. "This is why you don't hire brilliant competent people for jobs like this. You hire smart people fuckwits. Brilliant competent people get you in trouble."

Go over the article again with this kind of rephrasing and it becomes a little clearer.

[Junkenstein]

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/08/black-budget/

The latest published leak from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden lays bare classified details of the U.S. government's $52.6 billion intelligence budget, and makes the first reference in any of the Snowden documents to a "groundbreaking" U.S. encryption-breaking effort targeted squarely at internet traffic.

That's the first time I've actually seen a number assigned. I'd suspect the actual figure to be that at a minimum.

52. Billion. Budget. Holy fuck.

FUN WITH MATH -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population

The world population is the total number of living humans on Earth. As of today, it is estimated to number 7.108 billion

So that's $7.50 ish for intelligence gathering on every person alive.

[Cain]

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[Junkenstein]

Care to speculate about what the real figure may be, or be close to? I'd guess the off-the-books stuff would probably around the same again if narco profits are involved.

And then there is a number of intelligence agency front companies, some of which actually do turn a profit.

Is there a list of these by any chance? Would seem to be worth knowing.

[Cain]

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[Cain]

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[The Good Reverend Roger]

http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/30/20200659-how-much-did-snowden-take-at-least-three-times-number-reported?lite

Count the levels of fascism in that article.   

[Cain]

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[Cain]

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[The Good Reverend Roger]

Beat me by one.

[LMNO]

Bravo, guys. I love this place.