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| NSA Aims to Declassify Data on Thwarted Terror Attacks |
| 2013-06-18 |
| [An Nahar] The National Security Agency is expected to reveal details Monday about terror plots it says were thwarted by its surveillance, part of an effort to assuage public concern that government is spying on innocent Americans. In a rare move the NSA said last week it would declassify data on what its director told Congress were dozens of foiled plots, which could help justify its sweeping surveillance operations in the eyes of U.S. skeptics worried about the amount of information being scooped up by intelligence agencies. Senator Dianne Feinstein, chair of the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee, said she was told in a classified hearing that NSA chief General Keith Alexander aimed to release the information Monday. The intelligence community offered a weekend primer on the two programs at the heart of the controversy: an NSA program that collects telephone "metadata" -- but not content -- of billions of calls, and the gathering of digital communications, such as emails, that helps target foreign terrorists. Both were approved by Congress, but concern has been raised by some politicians that the programs under President Barack Obama Jedi mind meld... 's administration are being abused. "In recent years, the intelligence gathered under (these programs) has contributed to the disruption of dozens of potential terrorist plots here in the homeland and in more than 20 countries around the world," according to the overview released Saturday. "We are working to be able to provide more information about this." It also stressed that the phone program, authorized under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, is subject to strict oversight and "does not allow the government to listen to anyone's phone calls." Such action would require a secret FISA Court, set up under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, to determined that there is reasonable suspicion to further monitor suspects. "In 2012, less than 300 unique identifiers met this standard and were queried." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 "sweeping surveillance operations" and "FISA Court" warrants are antithetical. Are you telling me that those same acts of terrorism could not have been prevented with legal FISA warrants? I am sure that if the police broke down the doors of every dwelling in your city that they would uncover and perhaps prevent a lot of crime. However, recall the words of the 4th amendment. "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." The Congress, the President, the courts, and NSA chief General Keith Alexander all swore an oath to uphold the constitution which includes the 4th amendment. I think that Ben Franklin said it best. "Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither. " |
| Posted by: Omaimble Angolet4309 2013-06-18 22:10 |
| #7 Another issue: if many of the thwarted terror plots happened before the Boston Marathon bombing, then why didn't they detect that one? Two words: "Muslim Outreach" |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-06-18 11:10 |
| #6 Knew of more than 34 times it did work, and it worked quietly. |
| Posted by: Newc 2013-06-18 11:03 |
| #5 They have a big credibility problem that doesn't need any paranoia to suspect: if there were a lot of terror plots that were "foiled", then where is the triumphant avertising by the arresting authorities? Operational security could be preserved by the NSA using anonymous "tip" lines to phone in their "information". If there is not enough data to confirm that terror plots were actually credible, then what is the difference between the NSA actually aborting these plots and lying about aborting these plots to save a program out of which they are "ironing the bugs"? Another issue: if many of the thwarted terror plots happened before the Boston Marathon bombing, then why didn't they detect that one? Yet another issue: what if the revealed pattern of thwarted terror plots came from surveillance of "PC approved" suspects, and that the triggers are rigged to avoid being "PC racist"? (PC racist ->>> pracist, not truly racist, but racist by accusation of a PC enforcer of a PC definition of racist that is, in itself, truly racist. cool term. I may use it again.) |
| Posted by: Ptah 2013-06-18 07:46 |
| #4 So if we assume there really were successful anti-terrorist actions as a result of Prism, we will add to the damage Snowden did to our security with his broad-based Prism information dump by adding in the details. Seems stupid to me. If the program works, keep as much secret as you can; if it doesn't, shut it down. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2013-06-18 07:40 |
| #3 Scrambling to validate their indiscretions. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2013-06-18 04:42 |
| #2 It seems Edward Snowden's good works [before the incident] have gone unnoticed as well. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-06-18 00:38 |
| #1 In other words, following the abysmal narrative pursued followed the Benghazi cluster, we're making sure the story we come up with will last at least a couple of weeks before holes start showing up at which time no one will be paying any further attention. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2013-06-18 00:10 |