NSA’s data gathering didn’t help much in terror investigations
The Washington Times reports that members of Congress who have seen the documents related to the investigations that the National Security Agency claims that helped to prevent terror attacks across the globe really didn’t help all that much to justify the massive data gathering operation;
“We have yet to see any evidence that the bulk phone records collection program has provided any otherwise unobtainable intelligence,” Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Mark Udall of Colorado said in a joint statement.
“It is highly doubtful that these [NSA collection] programs played the kind of central role in these cases that officials have said,” said Michael German, a lawyer and former undercover FBI agent who now works for the American Civil Liberties Union.
The government had formerly said that the gathering of data helped them to interdict more than 50 terror plots around the world, and more than 10 which were specifically directed at the US.
Meanwhile Fox reports on it’s broadcast of the News channel that the government is reviewing the procedures that were used to grant Ed Snowden his security clearance. From the Washington Times;
“We do believe there may be some problems” with the reinvestigation of Mr. Snowden when his clearance was renewed in 2011, Patrick E. McFarland, the inspector general for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, told a Senate hearing.
Seriously? Ya think so? His friends say that he was planning this little escapade for months before he was hired by Booze-Allen. No one thought to ask his friends about his character?
Category: Terror War
You mean these maroons actually believed obamagov? As I said before, it is a helluva more likely that the NSA data was being stovepiped into Valerie Jarrett’s OFA operation to target domestic political enemies than to be used against actual foreign enemies. Call me cynical, just don’t be late in calling me for lunch…
Our NSA agent for today is Ms Shelly Jones. She will be monitoring this thread until approx 7pm. Everyone wave to Ms Jones!
I hope you find this conversation interesting. We’ll even throw in some pics to titilate you, Ms Jones.
So I can go on macking them now? Just wanted to make sure. I will proceed.
The problem, generally, is simply that the more data that is collected, the more opportunities there are for that data to be misused. Doesn’t really matter who is collecting the data or if those who wish to misuse it would do so for criminal enterprise or political purposes. It is just a bad idea to secretly collect data which individuals have not been offered an option to block.
I can’t believe they didn’t ask his friends about his character. I just had an agent yesterday interview me about a buddy of mine for his security clearance and he is just a SFC MP and not working for the NSA.
Ignore the “just a” in comment #5. I should have worded that better to not make it sound like it was something lowely.
Hiiiii, Ms. Shelly Jones. And just what will our wonderful Government do with these troves of information on its Citizenry? One look at the VA’s mishandling of PII, as well as the repeated hackings of US Government databases don’t give ME any “warm fuzzies” either!!
by rumor, investigative agents don’t give a lot of credence to what friends say… they assume they are biased sources. Supposedly, it’s the second- and third-hand references (“Miss Smith, we’re looking at Johnny Jones, his friend Bill Williams suggested you may have info on Johnny – can we talk?”) as having less of an axe to grind and more likely to be impartial. Dunno if it’s true but that’s what we heard.
@8. With any investigation, it’s best to do as you said, an employer, rather than a friend at work. A teacher, or guidance counselor, rather than a locker buddy. And the relatives. You’ll get 90% who say that Ed is a great guy, but there’ll usually be at least one or two that don’t think so, and have reasons why.
Like how the NSA tipped the FBI off to Major Hasan’s Islamist ass contacting Al Za—- terrorists with emails and they intentionally ignored it until they couldn’t because he committed his attack?
Yeah……I’m now on the IRS audit and NSA watch list for mentioning it.
In keeping with my snarkitude toward so-called homeland security (giggle) — and with the sincere hope that the NSA/DHS snoops read this shit to justify their paychecks — I hereby declare that I am currently working on a thesaurus of all those naughty bits that they think are clues to when someone is doing something naughty.
Since they didn’t catch the underwear bomber, they didn’t catch Green the Shoe Bomber, and they didn’t catch the Bostom Marathon bombers, I personally take their claims of 50 and 10 with a full horse-sized block of salt.
Can I get a pony pop with that, too? I’m a little bored. I need something to play with in my stall.
Geez! Proof before you click, numbnuts. That should be ‘Reid the Shoe Bomber’. (Smacks self upside head, down t’other.)
Damn straight you are.
Gathering data in a dragnet does not mean creating relationships (mapping) between people.
I bet Hillary Clinton is impressed and jealous. She only had the FBI collecting data on her’s and Bill’s enemies that she stored in her quarters in the White House. Obama’s gone Google.