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Catherina

(35,568 posts)
Wed Jul 31, 2013, 06:17 PM Jul 2013

How to translate from NSA to English


How to Decode the True Meaning of What NSA Officials Say
A lexicon for understanding the words U.S. intelligence officials use to mislead the public.

By Jameel Jaffer and Brett Max Kaufman

Posted Wednesday, July 31, 2013, at 5:29 PM


Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testifies before the House Select Intelligence Committee in Washington, D.C., on April 11, 2013. Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

...

Surveillance. Every time we pick up the phone, the NSA makes a note of whom we spoke to, when we spoke to him, and for how long—and it’s been doing this for seven years. After the call-tracking program was exposed, few people thought twice about attaching the label “surveillance” to it. Government officials, though, have rejected the term, pointing out that this particular program doesn’t involve the NSA actually listening to phone calls—just keeping track of them. Their crabbed definition of “surveillance” allows them to claim that the NSA isn’t engaged in surveillance even when it quite plainly is.

Collect. If an intelligence official says that the NSA isn’t “collecting” a certain kind of information, what has he actually said? Not very much, it turns out. One of the NSA’s foundational documents states that “collection” occurs not when the government acquires information but when the government “selects” or “tasks” that information for “subsequent processing.” Thus it becomes possible for the government to acquire great reams of information while denying that it is “collecting” anything at all.
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Relevant. The NSA’s call-tracking program is ostensibly based on the Patriot Act’s Section 215, a provision that allows the government to compel businesses to disclose records that are “relevant” to authorized foreign intelligence investigations. The theory, it seems, is that everybody’s phone records are relevant today because anybody’s phone records might become relevant in the future. This stretches the concept of “relevance” far beyond the breaking point. Even the legislator who wrote Section 215 has rejected the government’s theory. If “relevance” is given such a broad compass, what room is left for “irrelevance”?

Targeted. The call-tracking program is only one of the NSA’s surveillance efforts. Another is what’s been branded PRISM, a program that involves the acquisition of the contents of phone calls, emails, and other electronic communications. Americans need not worry about the program, the government says, because the NSA’s surveillance activities are “targeted” not at Americans but at foreigners outside the United States. No one should be reassured by this. The government’s foreign targets aren’t necessarily criminals or terrorists—they may be journalists, lawyers, academics, or human rights advocates. And even if one is indifferent to the NSA’s invasion of foreigners’ privacy, the surveillance of those foreigners involves the acquisition of Americans’ communications with those foreigners. The spying may be “targeted” at foreigners, but it vacuums up thousands of Americans’ phone calls and emails.

Inadvertent.

...

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/07/nsa_lexicon_how_james_clapper_and_other_u_s_officials_mislead_the_american.html
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sabrina 1

(62,325 posts)
1. Things are shifting now. And thanks to Snowden's leaks Congress has declared, both Dems and Repubs
Wed Jul 31, 2013, 06:24 PM
Jul 2013

that the movement to end the abuses revealed by Snowden are 'unstoppable'. When they return from their break, there will be a bi-partisan bill brought to the floor to begin to reign in these abuses.

The vote that failed by a very narrow margin, where many Dems went against the Party Leadership, was described as 'just the beginning' by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle.

As Ellsberg stated about Snowden 'he is the man we have been waiting for, for 40 year.

Thank YOU to all the Whistle Blowers who have risked everything over the past decade, and especially to Bradley Manning, for doing the job our Representatives were afraid to do, until you all led the way.

For the first time since Bush stole the WH I feel genuine hope that finally, Bush's anti-Constitutional policies can no longer be protected.

Catherina

(35,568 posts)
6. It's deliciously unstoppable. All the screaming won't stop what's coming
Wed Jul 31, 2013, 07:42 PM
Jul 2013

And the politicians on both sides of the aisle who stuck their neck out aren't going to back down. Nor are the journalists, activists and outraged citizens who were spied on.


On Friday, intelligence officials acknowledged in a letter that there have been some "a number of compliance problems" with the NSA's collection of phone records, but “no findings of any intentional or bad-faith violations,” ones Clapper said “generally involved human error or highly sophisticated technology issues related to NSA’s compliance with particular aspects of the Court’s orders.”

Wyden told CNN today that the “violations that the intelligence community, General Clapper specifically referred to, were violations of court orders, Jake, violations of court orders with respect to the bulk collection of the phone records.”

http://thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/31/sen-wyden-nsa-has-actively-misled-congress/

zeemike

(18,998 posts)
9. Your optimism on this makes me feel good.
Wed Jul 31, 2013, 09:15 PM
Jul 2013

But not so good that I forget my pessimism compleatly...for I know if they can redefine the meaning of words, just as the OP said, that they can re define any law passed by congress and still do what they want...

My greatest hope is that I will have to apologize for my pessimistic view of things and beg forgiveness for doubting your optimistic outlook at all.

sabrina 1

(62,325 posts)
10. I don't blame you at all for being pessimistic, I am cautiously optimistic because I know the power
Wed Jul 31, 2013, 09:50 PM
Jul 2013

there is behind the scenes that can get to Congress as they did when Congress voted down the Wall St. bailout, and it was forced back for another vote. That was after, we now know from members of Congress, they were threatened by Paulson with dire consequences if they did not vote the 'right way', and I remember when it happened after we thought the people had won, the feeling of despair people felt.

What is different this time is that Members of Congress have said that there was 'tremendous pressure' applied to force them to vote 'no' on the NSA vote but in spite of that, many of them resisted the pressure and in a rare show of strength, many Dems voted against the leadership.

And now they have stated, members of both parties, that something has to be done as things have gone way out of control.

I am aware that they could use some of that 'data' to 'persuade' members to vote the 'right way' again. And I know they have so much to lose they will not be wasting time, they will be pressuring Congress from now until the vote.

But, there does seem to be a difference in the comments from members of Congress, more confidence, maybe because this time it isn't just Democrats, they have major support from some high-ranking Republicans. Remember when Ashcroft surprised everyone that one time and actually tried to do the right thing? Maybe because he was so ill and thought he might not survive, whatever it was, he acted out of character and in a weak state to get help to protect him from Cheney who was coming to his hospital bed to get him to sign off on breaking the law.

I feel like some Republicans have, miraculously, reached such a moment themselves.

I hope I'm right, we'll see, and if i am, you don't need to apologize, just help me celebrate if it happens.

BlueCheese

(2,522 posts)
4. Interesting. Feinstein used "surveillance" and "collect" in these Newspeak ways...
Wed Jul 31, 2013, 07:22 PM
Jul 2013

... in her Post op-ed.

Catherina

(35,568 posts)
7. Feinstein lol has been fingered by all the NSA whistleblowers as a collaborator
Wed Jul 31, 2013, 07:44 PM
Jul 2013

I wonder how much time she has left. There are too many other good people to replace her.

sabrina 1

(62,325 posts)
8. It can't be soon enough. She sure has profited from all of the wars and spying etc.
Wed Jul 31, 2013, 08:50 PM
Jul 2013

I don't know how they sleep at night.

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