Senator Leahy - little evidence government collection of phone records helped prevent terror attacks

[totodeinhere]

There is little evidence the U.S. government's sweeping collection of phone records, as revealed by admitted intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, has helped prevent terror attacks as national security officials have claimed, a top senator said on Wednesday.

He noted that a classified list of uses under the initiative "does not reflect dozens or even several terrorist plots" that it helped prevent "let alone 54 as some have suggested."

Reeling from Snowden's disclosures in June, National security officials defended the surveillance effort as necessary to prevent terror attacks. They said the surveillance over the years had helped thwart dozens of plots, including those targeting the stock exchange and the subway system in New York.

Thank you Senator Leahy. We need to expose these lies for what they are. As usual the proponents of wholesale NSA spying as using scare tactics in an effort to hoodwink the public into believing that NSA spying is actually preventing terrorist attacks when in fact there is very little evidence that it has.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/31/politics/nsa-surveillance

[quinnox]

1. Yep - Leahy sounds very unhappy regarding this whole spying nonsense

We need more senators just like him. The tide does seem to be rapidly turning against the NSA spying though, overall.

[cali]

5. well, this is about an issue he's been focusing on for a decade

I think he sees it as a window.

[LondonReign2]

2. Hold on. Is Leahy suggesting the government lied?

Inconceivable!

Right Mr. Clapper?

[totodeinhere]

4. I know it's shocking isn't it. n/t

[forestpath]

3. K&R

[PADemD]

6. So what happened with Boston? n/t

[Hydra]

12. They were too busy indexing all of our communications

Couldn't be bothered with actual terrorism, even when they had warnings from other gov'ts. Not unlike 9/11. Maybe they just don't care if someone blows our people up as much as they pretend?

[PADemD]

14. It wasn't the $tock exchange.

[Hydra]

15. Probably true. Gotta have our priorities. $$

[bluedeathray]

7. What little there is - is classified.

We are less secure as a nation due to US foreign policy. Less safe. Less free.

[randome]

8. 'Little evidence' does not equal 'lying'.

Let's see some statistics and make a rational, informed decision. And if they can't or won't provide statistics, shut the program down.

[RobertEarl]

10. Shut the program down?

That is a radical position. Leahy does not hold that idea, nor do most of the citizens.

Yours is binary thinking and not really conducive to our security.

[totodeinhere]

11. No, this is a lie.

Reeling from Snowden's disclosures in June, National security officials defended the surveillance effort as necessary to prevent terror attacks. They said the surveillance over the years had helped thwart dozens of plots, including those targeting the stock exchange and the subway system in New York.

[randome]

13. But that's not what Leahy said. That's what the OP said.

And if they want us to believe terrorist attacks were stopped, they need to give us details. From the descriptions, it sounds like the system would be useful from a LE perspective. Wanting to know who Terrorist A called might lead to Terrorist B, etc.

Or Child Pornographer A leading to Child Pornographer B, etc.

But if it's actually not doing much good, then meh.

[Life Long Dem]

9. I think Rogers has some explaining to do

He said "54 violent terrorist attacks thwarted" on MTP with the collection of phone records.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/politico-live/2013/07/rogers-nsa-programs-balance-privacy-security-169347.html

[Mnemosyne]

16. Little evidence? More likely no evidence that it has helped in any way. nt