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The Domestic Surveillance Boom, From Bush to Obama

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Lucky Beaver!
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Here's a most excellent timeline of data mining, starting with 2001 and going to 2012. I think this need to be posted here as many of you don't seem to remember that data mining has been happening for some time now, and under Obama, the program is as strong as ever.


2001September 11: Nearly 3,000 people are killed when terrorists fly planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and crash another in Pennsylvania. Soon afterward, the NSA begins a "special collection program" to track the communications of Al Qaeda leaders and suspected terrorists.
bush-NSA300.jpg
George W. Bush speaks at the NSA in 2002.NSA

October 4: President George W. Bush secretly authorizes the NSA to track suspected terrorists by monitoring domestic communications without a warrant. The 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Actprohibits the government from eavesdropping inside the United States without first getting a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, also known as the FISA court.
October 26: Bush signs the Patriot Act. The law expands the government's electronic surveillance powers. "The existing law was written in the era of rotary telephones. This new law that I sign today will allow surveillance of all communications used by terrorists, including emails, the internet, and cellphones," Bush declares.


The Domestic Surveillance Boom, From Bush to Obama | Mother Jones
 
Here's a most excellent timeline of data mining, starting with 2001 and going to 2012. I think this need to be posted here as many of you don't seem to remember that data mining has been happening for some time now, and under Obama, the program is as strong as ever.


Wrong. Under Obama the program is STRONGER than ever.
 
Here's a most excellent timeline of data mining, starting with 2001 and going to 2012. I think this need to be posted here as many of you don't seem to remember that data mining has been happening for some time now, and under Obama, the program is as strong as ever.


Wrong. Under Obama the program is STRONGER than ever.

Whatever. Is adultery considered less of a sin if the adulterer ****s just one person instead of 20?
 
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Wrong. Under Obama the program is STRONGER than ever.

Well I wish they would put it to good use to track down and shut down all these telemarketing companies that refuse to obey the Do Not Call rules and harass people endlessly.
 
It's definitely more immoral to **** 20 people instead of 1.
 
Yeah, I'm flummoxed by this entire whoopla. I won't pretend I'm not surprised by the supposed scope of data mining... but nobody has offered one shred of evidence that this same scope has been used consistently since the Patriot Act was passed. Just saying, "Obama is doing more of it because I'm a republican and hate the guy" is not really evidence... just so you know. :lol:

I hated Bush, still hate the Patriot Act, have no use for Obama-the-Inept, but even I know the difference between evidence, speculation, and blind partisan rhetoric. The inconvenient truth is that Bush passed the Patriot Act and began the use of data mining US citizens. Obama has quite clearly continued it. That is simply a fact, whether some like it or not.
 
I like that MoJo mentions that Bush signed the PA Reauthorization act in 2006 but neglected that Obama was an "Aye" vote on that as well - HR 3199 - PATRIOT Act Reauthorization - Key Vote - Project Vote Smart

Why should they have? They did not point out how the vote went down in Congress, only that it passed. :doh And if you're pushing that this MJ article is biased, they certainly do a good job of showing the Obama Administration's involvement in the spying programs.

Seriously, when are you going to stop making excuses?
 
The inconvenient truth is that Bush passed the Patriot Act and began the use of data mining US citizens. Obama has quite clearly continued it. That is simply a fact, whether some like it or not.

bingo-women.jpg
We have a winner here...
 
Bush slowly rolled through a stop sign while carefully looking both ways. Obama has gone through the stop sign at 60mph, see the difference?

Evidence for that? Besides your say-so, that is.
 
Bush slowly rolled through a stop sign while carefully looking both ways. Obama has gone through the stop sign at 60mph, see the difference?

Actually, not even close. Read the timeline I posted, and based-on the facts, you'll see the error of your judgement. But hey, if that justifying makes you sleep better at night, then ya gotta do what you got to do.
 
Evidence for that? Besides your say-so, that is.


Exhibit A:




National Security Agency surveillance programs came under more scrutiny Tuesday as the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit and a prominent senator and Internet giant Google called on the Obama administration to disclose more information.

In its lawsuit, the ACLU said an NSA program that harvests phone calls violates the rights of all Americans.

"The program goes far beyond even the permissive limits set by the Patriot Act and represents a gross infringement of the freedom of association and the right to privacy," said Jameel Jaffer, the ACLU's deputy legal director.

Meanwhile, Google sought permission to disclose more details about another contested NSA program, one that allows the government to collect online information from non-U.S. citizens


ACLU sues Obama administration over NSA surveillance
 
Exhibit A:




National Security Agency surveillance programs came under more scrutiny Tuesday as the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit and a prominent senator and Internet giant Google called on the Obama administration to disclose more information.

In its lawsuit, the ACLU said an NSA program that harvests phone calls violates the rights of all Americans.

"The program goes far beyond even the permissive limits set by the Patriot Act and represents a gross infringement of the freedom of association and the right to privacy," said Jameel Jaffer, the ACLU's deputy legal director.

Meanwhile, Google sought permission to disclose more details about another contested NSA program, one that allows the government to collect online information from non-U.S. citizens


ACLU sues Obama administration over NSA surveillance

You're using an ACLU allegation that hasn't even seen a courtroom as evidence??? :lamo

Thing is, we know what is being done now because a treasonous/whistleblowing person dumped the classified information into the media. We do not know what was being done prior to 2009, because a treasonous/whistleblowing individual did NOT dump the classified information into the media. Ergo, we do NOT know what was being done during the Bush administration, because it was classified. The ACLU cannot sue the Bush administration because it no longer exists, and because a treasonous/whistleblowing individual did NOT dump the classified information into the media.

It will be a very long time before any of us will know whether this administration increased data mining or just decided to continue what was already being done... if we ever know. The only thing of which I'm quite positive is that you don't know either.
 
You're using an ACLU allegation that hasn't even seen a courtroom as evidence??? :lamo

Thing is, we know what is being done now because a treasonous/whistleblowing person dumped the classified information into the media. We do not know what was being done prior to 2009, because a treasonous/whistleblowing individual did NOT dump the classified information into the media. Ergo, we do NOT know what was being done during the Bush administration, because it was classified. The ACLU cannot sue the Bush administration because it no longer exists, and because a treasonous/whistleblowing individual did NOT dump the classified information into the media.

It will be a very long time before any of us will know whether this administration increased data mining or just decided to continue what was already being done... if we ever know. The only thing of which I'm quite positive is that you don't know either.

YAAAAWN

Exhibit B:


Breaking! More data mining by Obama Administration







.


"Along with the mass gathering of phone call records and emails, the Obama Administration has also been gathering all of your financial information. This data is then combed through by government computers which search for any anomalies contained in the data. If financial transactions look suspicious, not only you, but possibly other people you have associated with are then investigated. The reverse is also true. If you had any financial transactions with someone the government deems suspicious, you may also become a target.

And if the government feels like it, it can also target you at random, even if you have done nothing wrong.

.



What is the government agency which wields so much power over the lives of ordinary Americans? It is known as the IRS.


There are several factors that govern who the IRS chooses to audit. Firstly, some tax returns are chosen for audit through the screening of a computer. An IRS computer compares data from a return to average numbers from other people’s tax returns in similar situations looking for variances. The data that is reviewed by the computer are things like charitable donations, interest income and variations
from averages in your income bracket or zip code. If a major variance is detected, that tax return is chosen for audit.
Secondly, tax returns are chosen for audit based on comparisons with other documents like your W2s. The computer sees if your tax return matches up with your W2 and if there is a mismatch, that return is called for audit.

Thirdly, there is the category called “related examinations”. This is where returns may be selected for audit when they involve issues or transactions with other taxpayers, such as business partners or investors, whose returns were selected for audit. And finally, some returns are selected for audit purely at random


Daily Kos: Breaking! More data mining by Obama Administration
 
"Along with the mass gathering of phone call records and emails, the Obama Administration has also been gathering all of your financial information.

Not new

President Bush Signs Anti-Terrorism Bill | PBS NewsHour | Oct. 26, 2001 | PBS

We're dealing with terrorists who operate by highly sophisticated methods and technologies, some of which were not even available when our existing laws were written. The bill before me takes account of the new realities and dangers posed by modern terrorists. It will help law enforcement to identify, to dismantle, to disrupt, and to punish terrorists before they strike.

For example, this legislation gives law enforcement officials better tools to put an end to financial counterfeiting, smuggling and money-laundering. Secondly, it gives intelligence operations and criminal operations the chance to operate not on separate tracks, but to share vital information so necessary to disrupt a terrorist attack before it occurs.

As of today, we're changing the laws governing information-sharing. And as importantly, we're changing the culture of our various agencies that fight terrorism. Countering and investigating terrorist activity is the number one priority for both law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

Surveillance of communications is another essential tool to pursue and stop terrorists. The existing law was written in the era of rotary telephones. This new law that I sign today will allow surveillance of all communications used by terrorists, including e-mails, the Internet, and cell phones.
 
YAAAAWN

Exhibit B:


Breaking! More data mining by Obama Administration







.


"Along with the mass gathering of phone call records and emails, the Obama Administration has also been gathering all of your financial information. This data is then combed through by government computers which search for any anomalies contained in the data. If financial transactions look suspicious, not only you, but possibly other people you have associated with are then investigated. The reverse is also true. If you had any financial transactions with someone the government deems suspicious, you may also become a target.

And if the government feels like it, it can also target you at random, even if you have done nothing wrong.

.



What is the government agency which wields so much power over the lives of ordinary Americans? It is known as the IRS.


There are several factors that govern who the IRS chooses to audit. Firstly, some tax returns are chosen for audit through the screening of a computer. An IRS computer compares data from a return to average numbers from other people’s tax returns in similar situations looking for variances. The data that is reviewed by the computer are things like charitable donations, interest income and variations
from averages in your income bracket or zip code. If a major variance is detected, that tax return is chosen for audit.
Secondly, tax returns are chosen for audit based on comparisons with other documents like your W2s. The computer sees if your tax return matches up with your W2 and if there is a mismatch, that return is called for audit.

Thirdly, there is the category called “related examinations”. This is where returns may be selected for audit when they involve issues or transactions with other taxpayers, such as business partners or investors, whose returns were selected for audit. And finally, some returns are selected for audit purely at random


Daily Kos: Breaking! More data mining by Obama Administration


In other words, when it comes to evidence that the Obama administration is doing anything different than the Bush administration, you got nothin'. :2wave:
 
Im not sure how this fits into the puzzle but we do know its been in the works for a decade. While silicon valley has been decrying their involvement as involuntary, I dont think that may be the case, especially after reading this.

Silicon Valley Doesn't Just Help the Surveillance State—It Built It - Michael Hirsh - The Atlantic

Some of America's biggest social media and tech companies have been denying in recent days that they were aware of the National Security Agency's recently-exposed "PRISM" and telephone monitoring programs. But these denials obscure a larger truth: The government's massive data collection and surveillance system was largely built not by professional spies or Washington bureaucrats but by Silicon Valley and private defense contractors.

So says Michael V. Hayden, the retired Air Force general who as director of the NSA from 1999 to 2006 was a primary mover behind the agency's rebirth from Cold War dinosaur into a post-9/11 terror-detection leviathan with sometimes frightening technical and legal powers.
 
Evidence for that? Besides your say-so, that is.

Bush wasn't afraid to target muslims whereas Obama just decides to get everyone's records so he can't be accused of profiling. :fueltofir
 
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