Wiki sues NSA, DOJ while CIA was busy trying to hack your Iphone

brooks85 · 03-11-15, 08:35 PM

o yeah, no big deal

BWest · 03-14-15, 07:16 AM

In the early days after 9/11, the US govt approached cellphone manufacturers and asked if they would make it possible to track a cellphone even if the user changed the SIM card. They also asked that this not be made public. The industry quietly complied with both requests. The public at large believed that changing your SIM card in essence erased any links to the previous identity of the phone. Taliban commanders changed SIM cards sometimes daily in order to "confuse" would be trackers. The CIA used the embedded "secret" technology to track and kill/capture a great number of Taliban and Al-Queda suspects. The program was rendered useless when it became public knowledge via a New York Times article outlining the process after several years of all parties keeping quiet. As far as the NSA goes, the sheer volume of information that the NSA collects makes it virtually impossible for you to be the topic of conversation unless you are doing something that endangers the US. The CIA does not conduct operations "on US soil" as per their mission statement. I'm sure it happens but despite the privacy concerns that I understand are relevant, I do not care if the NSA is "looking" at my iphone content. This is not to say that it is right or they should be doing this but I'm not surprised and I tell anyone who will listen that you should not assume any expectation of privacy in this post 9/11 world.

brooks85 · 03-14-15, 07:44 AM

Originally posted by BWest

In the early days after 9/11, the US govt approached cellphone manufacturers and asked if they would make it possible to track a cellphone even if the user changed the SIM card. They also asked that this not be made public. The industry quietly complied with both requests. The public at large believed that changing your SIM card in essence erased any links to the previous identity of the phone. Taliban commanders changed SIM cards sometimes daily in order to "confuse" would be trackers. The CIA used the embedded "secret" technology to track and kill/capture a great number of Taliban and Al-Queda suspects. The program was rendered useless when it became public knowledge via a New York Times article outlining the process after several years of all parties keeping quiet. As far as the NSA goes, the sheer volume of information that the NSA collects makes it virtually impossible for you to be the topic of conversation unless you are doing something that endangers the US. The CIA does not conduct operations "on US soil" as per their mission statement. I'm sure it happens but despite the privacy concerns that I understand are relevant, I do not care if the NSA is "looking" at my iphone content. This is not to say that it is right or they should be doing this but I'm not surprised and I tell anyone who will listen that you should not assume any expectation of privacy in this post 9/11 world.

Surely you're not saying this as some kind of justification? Suspects? That wouldn't stand up very well in a debate. Won't even touch on the wasted cost of all that.

I knew exactly what they did and were doing, I was the idiot 5 years ago supporting it. I used to say "I don't care if NSA is spying on me" then I took my head out of my ass.